TAMPA, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - The owner of a Tampa apartment complex faces a wrongful death lawsuit blaming it for a lack of security.
Shawnte Washington, the personal representative of the estate of Ja'Quan Washington, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Dec. 30 against Opus Management Group, LLC and John Doe Security Company in Hillsborough County Circuit Court. Shawnte is Ja'Quan's mother.
The suit alleges that Ja'Quan Washington was murdered by a third party Jan. 30, 2022, while lawfully residing at The Riviera at 8412 Apartments, a property managed by Opus and secured by John Doe Security Company. The lawsuit says Opus knew or should have known of criminal activity in the area and provided better security measures.
"(T)he criminal attack and shooting of the Decedent, Ja'Quan Washington, was reasonably foreseeable, and The Complex was in a superior position to appreciate such hazards and try to prevent harm to the premises’ invitees, and the public," the suit says.
A suspect in the shooting drowned in Missouri in June 2022. Washington is represented by Jeremy McLymont of Miami.