| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Judge relieves county, city of responsibility in deaths
Wednesday August 13, 2003VISALIA, Calif. (AP) A judge has dismissed Tulare County and the city of Porterville as defendants in a lawsuit filed by the family of two girls killed when the cemetery pit they played in collapsed.
The family of Alisa Ortiz, 8, and Andrea Cavazos, 12, filed the civil lawsuit against the county, city and the Porterville Public Cemetery District after the two sisters died March 13, 2002.
Superior Court Judge Patrick O'Hara said Tuesday the county and city did not have ownership, possession or control of the property, and therefore were not responsible.
Five girls were playing in the pit at a cemetery near their Porterville elementary school when the cave-in occurred.
Cavazos and Ortiz died at the scene. A third girl was critically injured. The others escaped unharmed.
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