Naya Rivera‘s family has settled their wrongful death suit nearly two years after the Glee star’s tragic drowning. Rivera’s ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, filed the suit in November 2020 on behalf of their son, Josey, who is now six years old.
The family’s lawyer, Amjad M. Khan, said in a statement, “Through this settlement, Josey will receive just compensation for having to endure the drowning of his beloved mother at Lake Piru.”
“Though the tragic loss of Josey's mother can never truly be overcome, we are very pleased that the monetary settlement will significantly assist Josey with his life beyond this tragedy,” Khan continued.
Dorsey and Rivera’s estate sued Ventura County, California, arguing that Rivera’s death was preventable. Rivera accidentally drowned while taking a boat out on the water with her son at Lake Piru in July 2020. The lawsuit argued that the boat she rented from Lake Piru “did not have the proper features and equipment necessary to comply with U.S. Coast Guard safety standards.”
The suit also cited the lake’s “deadly history,” as Rivera is among more than two dozen people who have drowned in Lake Piru since 1959.
The court documents claimed there wasn’t “a single sign anywhere — not at the entrance, at the dock, at the popular swimming area of Diablo Cove, not anywhere — warning of the lake's strong currents, low visibility, high winds, changing water depths, underwater caves, ledges and drop offs, or the trees, brush and other debris that congest its waters due to the vastly changing water levels and winds.”