Odin Lloyd's Mother Re-Files Lawsuit Against Aaron Hernandez, Patriots
The mother of Odin Lloyd re-filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of her son against former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots and Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
The lawsuit was originally filed in 2013 by Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward, but was put on hold pending the outcome of Hernandez’s murder trial.
The New England Patriots LLC, Kraft Patriots LLC, and Kraft Patriots, Inc. are named as defendants in the suit, which claims that Hernandez “maliciously, willfully, wantonly, recklessly or by gross negligence caused Odin Lloyd to suffer personal injuries that directly resulted in his death.”
Earlier this month a jury found Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder for shooting Lloyd to death and leaving his body in an industrial park in June 2013.
The original filing said Hernandez is owed payments of $82,000 and $3.25 million by the Patriots, and that the NFL Players Association has filed a grievance seeking payment to Hernandez.
Ward spoke during a press conference discussing the lawsuit and thanked the well-wishers who have prayed and sent condolences to her family.
"Odin was the backbone of the family. He was a proud, young man. He never took life for granted," she said. "I thought my life ended with his on the day she found out her son was killed. Odin was loved by many. He'll be missed tremendously. He's a hero in my book."
Douglas Sheff, Ward's lawyer, who also spoke at the news conference, says that Hernandez may be called to testify in the pending civil case, stating that the former tight end will “no longer be able to hide.”
"We haven’t made a demand. This case has never been about money," Sheff said. "We're not confident he has money, but he sure has received a lot over the years."
Sheff said he is curious to know where the money that Hernandez has earned is and would like to question those who are responsible for managing his money.
"I have to do everything we can to preserve those assets," he said.
Hernandez, 25, started serving a life sentence without parole in MCI-Cedar Junction, a maximum-security prison in Walpole, Mass. The sentence was automatically appealed to Massachusetts' highest court.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from Hernandez, the Patriots, and Kraft.
Hernandez faces civil lawsuits in Suffolk County, Mass., where he is accused of murdering two men after a nightclub confrontation in 2012. The families of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado are each seeking $6 million in damages.
Hernandez is due in court later this year to face charges of murder in the deaths of de Abreu and Furtado. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He is also being sued in a Florida District Court by Alexander Bradley, who claims Hernandez shot him between the eyes after an argument in February 2013. Bradley is seeking at least $100,000 in damages.
