SANTA MONICA—A lawsuit was filed in court on September 5, eight months after Ronnie Solomon, 65, was fatally dragged by a departing Metro Expo line train at Colorado and 17th Street Metro station on January 15.
Plaintiffs of the lawsuit against Metro include Deonta Tyree Solomon, Jeris Venwalas King and Esther Valery Person, City News Service first reported. The plaintiffs are being represented by personal injury attorney Jeffrey Milman. The personal injury lawsuit will be tried at the Spring Street Courthouse in Santa Monica on various dates throughout the duration of the next two years. The official non-jury trial is set to take place on March 4, 2021.
At the time of the accident, Solomon was attempting to board the departing train, but fell between the train tracks. When the train departed from the station, Solomon was dragged along the tracks and suffered fatal injuries. The lawsuit filed against Metro notes that the train conductor who operated the departure failed to ensure all pedestrians were clear of the track platform before taking off.
According to the California Civil Code § 1714 subsection (a), train stations have a responsibility to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe manner in order to take steps to avoid accidents. The Final Status Conference regarding the lawsuit against Metro will be heard at 10:00 a.m. in Department 3 at 312 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 on February 18, 2021.
