Five lawsuits pending in University City crash

The legal battle for relatives of four people killed by a Marine Corps jet that crashed into their San Diego home ended Wednesday in a $17.8 million judgment against the federal government. The struggle for compensation continues, however, for several other families whose homes and possessions were damaged in the Dec. 8, 2008, accident.

The Navy has resolved 33 claims related to the crash in University City and paid about $1.7 million, said Jennifer Zeldis, a spokeswoman for the Navy Judge Advocate General?s office in Washington, D.C.

Those who were unable to come to terms with the Navy Department sued in federal court, where five lawsuits are pending.

The Marine Corps had concluded that a chain of errors caused the crash, but the government was unable to agree with several families about how much compensation was owed.

Owners of the two homes that were destroyed by the jet crash are among those whose claims were rejected by the Navy. Three other houses were significantly damaged.

One of the destroyed homes was the residence of John Wu, his wife, Sunny Zhuang-Wu, and their two daughters. No one was home at the time of the crash.

After two years in temporary housing, the family moved into the rebuilt home about a year ago. Their homeowners? insurance did not cover all costs of construction, temporary rental housing or the replacement of their personal possessions, Zhuang-Wu said.

To make matters worse, Zhuang-Wu, a scientist for a biotech firm, and her husband, an information technology specialist, were both laid off from their jobs after the crash.

To her surprise, the Navy paid them nothing for the damages, she said. ?I didn?t know the military would be so difficult.?

The Navy is unable to comment on the Wu case or other pending litigation, Zeldis said, referring questions to the Department of Justice.

The Wu girls were ages 13 and 9 at the time of the crash. Losing their home and their belongings, and the deaths of their neighbors, ?it is very, very hard for them,? said Zhuang-Wu. ?It affected their school, their achievability, all those things.

?They are still very scared. They still cannot sleep by themselves. Not when they see airplanes over the sky here all the time,? she said.

Her only consolation has been that everyone in their family was at work or school at the time of the crash. ?At least we are still here,? she said.

Don Yoon?s wife, Youngmi; daughters, 15-month-old Grace and 7-week-old Rachel; and mother-in-law, Seokim Lee perished in the crash.

?I feel so sad every time I think of them,? Zhuang-Wu said.

Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/29/five-lawsuits-pending-university-city-crash/

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