LOS ANGELES — An investigation of
the 2012 Learjet crash near Monterrey, Mexico, that killed Long Beach-based
singer Jenni Rivera and six others is not finished, an attorney representing
relatives of Rivera’s entourage said today.
Steven Archer told Los Angeles
Superior Court Judge Holly Kendig that parts of the 1969 Learjet 25 aircraft
are in Mexico and that other parts are in Kansas. Members of Rivera’s immediate
family have yet to sign on to the lawsuit, pending the completion of the crash
investigation
Killed with Rivera were her
publicist, Arturo Rivera; makeup artist Jacobo Yebale; hairstylist Jorge
Armando Sanchez Vasquez; and Mario Macias Pacheco, her attorney. In January
2013, their relatives sued the owner of the plane, Starwood Management LLC,
claiming wrongful death, loss of support and punitive damages.
Pilot Miguel Perez and co-pilot
Alessandro Torres also died in the crash.
Kendig said she would not decide on
a trial date until Sept. 9, when she is set to hear a motion by Archer to
strike legal documents previously submitted on behalf of Starwood Management
LLC, which would begin the default process.
Archer maintains the
eight-passenger, twin-engine jet was poorly maintained and unsafe to fly.
Starwood has not participated in
the case since February, when Kendig granted a request by attorney Mark
Velasquez to withdraw from the case. Velasquez said a dispute arose between him
and Starwood over his pay.
Kendig told lawyers to report to
her Sept. 9 how long they expect the trial to last and the length of time
needed to gather information from all sides.
The crash occurred Dec. 9, 2012,
when the jet crashed about 3:30 a.m., 15 minutes after leaving Monterrey in the
mountains of northern Mexico. Rivera had just performed in Monterrey and was on
her way to Mexico City to appear on the Mexican version of “The Voice.”
Family members of one of two pilots
killed have joined the case. Rivera’s husband, former Los Angeles Dodger
pitcher Esteban Loaiza, filed a separate wrongful death suit against Starwood.
His attorneys also are seeking a default judgment against Starwood.
Rivera, 43, dominated the banda
style of regional Mexican music popular in California and northwestern Mexico.
She was one of the biggest stars on Mexico television and was popular on
“regional Mexican” stations in California.
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