MOA, family of boy thrown from balcony reach settlement in lawsuit, lawyers say
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Lawyers for the family of a boy who was thrown from a balcony at the Mall of America say the two sides have reached a "confidential settlement" in a lawsuit over the incident.
The boy, named Landen, was 5 years old when Emmanuel Aranda threw him from a third-floor balcony on April 12, 2019. Aranda pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and was sentenced to 19 years in prison for the attack.
Landen "suffered extensive and, in some cases permanent, injuries to his brain, face, arms, legs, and internal organs when he struck the floor of the Mall," according to the lawsuit his family filed in July of 2021.
"The boy's recovery has been nothing short of miraculous and the focus remains on his health and wellbeing, which includes privacy during this time," the family's lawyers said in a statement. "Mall of America and the family have agreed to work together with a focus on safety, and already are jointly pursuing policy changes to existing trespass limits for violent criminals so as to give greater ability to preclude such persons from their premises. The Mall and the family will ask that any resulting change be named in honor of the young boy."
The lawsuit also alleged Aranda had previously banned from the mall for more than a year, and that he was at MOA exhibiting "suspicious and unusual" behavior the day before the 2019 attack.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. The lawsuit stated Landen's medical bills exceeded $1.75 million. In addition to seeking damages for those costs, the family was seeking damages for future medical expenses, pain and suffering, future income loss and mental anguish and distress.