KILLED THEM ALL, OF COURSE - HOLDING ROBERT DURST RESPONSIBLE

 Posted on December 11, 2015 in Personal Injury

The family of Kathleen Durst recently filed a $100 million dollar lawsuit against Robert Durst claiming he murdered his wife thirty-three years ago, hid the body and deprived them of their right to bury her. With New York State’s two-year statute of limitations on wrongful-death claims,how can her family sue after all these years?

ThE JINX HELPED MAKE CLAIM POSSIBLE

Kathleen Durst disappeared on January 31, 1982. She was pronounced dead on March 21, 1988 after being missing for over six years. Her body was never discovered and the killer was never caught. It was not until thirty-three years after her disappearance that her family filed a multi-million dollar civil action against Kathleen’s husband, billionaire eccentric Robert Durst.

In an episode of the highly acclaimed HBO series,The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, which aired on March 15, 2015, Robert Durst admitted to killing his wife.In a chilling confession, he says “There it is…you’recaught. What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.” Basedon this confession, Kathleen Durst’s family filed a lawsuit claimingthat Robert Durst killed his wife, hid her body and deprived them of their right to bury Kathleen. It was the confession, claims the family of Kathleen Durst, that gave rise to their claim.

ThE Right of sepulcher

Generally speaking, the “right of sepulcher” means the right to choose and control the burial, cremation, or other final disposition of a dead human body. Under New York Law, the next of kin of a decedent can commence a lawsuit for a violation of his or her right of sepulcher when 1) a next of kin’s right to immediate possession of a decedent’s body is interfered with, and 2) the interference causes mental anguish.New York courts have held that interference with a next of kin’sright of sepulcher can arise under the following circumstances: 1) unauthorized autopsy; 2) inadvertent disposition of remains; and 3) failure to notify next of kin of the death.