Attorneys for former resident Charla Nash, who was horrifically mauled by her friend Sandra Herold's pet chimpanzee Travis in February 2009, have reportedly submitted evidence to the state claims commissioner that state Department of Environmental Protection officials wanted legislation allowing them to seize the primate prior to the attack, but took no further action.
What's more Nash's attorneys submitted evidence that state DEP officials failed to heed warnings from one staffer about the primate just months before the mauling, according to a report in the Stamford Advocate.
Travis was shot by police after he attacked Nash at Herold's Stamford home in April 2009. Nash, , is still recuperating from the attack at a nursing facility outside of Boston. Herold, who was also Nash's employer, has since passed away and Nash is in the process of suing her estate.
Nash is reportedly seeking a with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (formerly DEP), saying had they acted in time. The state claims commissioner will decide whether Nash can proceed with the suit.
"The lack of action on the Department of Environmental Protection's part is egregious and certainly shows systematic, institutional negligence on the part of the DEP," Charles Willinger, one of Nash's attorneys, told the Stamford Advocate.
Attorneys for the state have said the the attack took place, and that therefore there is no grounds for the lawsuit.
For more check out the Stamford Advocate report.
