Wrongful Death Suit Filed In Party Stabbing
CHICAGO (STMW) -- The mother of a teenage boy fatally stabbed at a south suburban graduation party in 2009 filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday against the attacker and homeowners.
Felix Jimenez was fatally stabbed July 12, 2009, at a party on Arroyo St. in Oak Forest, according to a suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
During the party, Derrick Gribb became intoxicated or impaired by alcohol or illegal drugs and stabbed Jimenez multiple times, according to the suit. Gribb was 16 at the time of the attack.
Jimenez, 18, of the 15000 block of Lorel Ave. in Oak Forest, was pronounced dead at 12:16 a.m. July 13, 2009, at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
He had just graduated from Oak Forest High School and was looking at a possible military career, family said.
Oak Forest police responded to the home after receiving 911 calls late that night, Oak Forest police Deputy Chief David DeMarco said.
Jimenez was stabbed during an argument at a graduation party, authorities said. A 17-year-old boy was also injured and was taken to Christ Medical Center for surgery, DeMarco said.
Gribb, of Oak Forest, was charged with one count each of first-degree murder and aggravated battery and Cook County Circuit Court Judge Darron E. Bowden set bond at $1 million. Gribb's family posted the required $100,000 bond to secure his release until trial.
Prosecutors claimed Gribb attacked Jimenez from behind, but Gribb's attorney, Bruce Brandwein, said Jimenez initiated the attack.
The suit claims the Flatley's supplied or permitted the consumption of alcohol or use of illegal drugs by minors on their property. It also claims they failed to supervise, control and eject intoxicated minor guests from the residence.
The three-count suit, filed by Jimenez' mother Teresa Rivera, is seeking $100,000 from the Flatleys and $50,000 from Gribb's mother, Christina Gribb. The suit claims Christina Gribb allowed her son to attend a party unsupervised and allowed him to carry a knife.
The defendants could not be reached for comment.
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