Negligence lawsuit filed in Lodge double homicide
The family of the two Santa Monica men who were fatally shot in March are suing the Moose Lodge — where the murders took place — for negligence.
Natalie Preciado, the mother of Jonathan Hernandez, 19; and Krizna Bonilla, girlfriend of Hector Bonilla, 25, filed suit against the Moose Lodge No. 702 on May 26 in Santa Monica Superior Court. They claim that management at the lodge didn’t provide adequate security.
Bonilla and Hernandez were shot multiple times on March 5 at a birthday party held at the Moose Lodge at 16th Street and Ocean Park Boulevard.
The allegations within the complaint include negligence; liability issues on the premises; negligent supervision, hiring and training practices; assault and battery; breach of oral and written contract for a third party beneficiary; negligence per se; and wrongful death.
Attorney Brian Nelson is representing Preciado, Krizna Bonilla and the three children she had with Hector Bonilla.
The complaint claims that Hernandez and Bonilla were guests at a party at which Moose Lodge management “knew that uninvited gang members and violent persons were attending the event.” The complaint also claims that several hours before the attack, the assailants were “loud, confrontational and argumentative with guests at the party.” They also were smoking cigarettes inside the lodge contrary to state law and were “being sold alcoholic beverages even though they were underage,” according to the complaint.
Nelson said he believes Hernandez may have been trying to urge the assailants to leave the party when the altercation escalated into the shooting.
Security personnel were working during the party, but it’s unclear if they were contracted by the lodge or were employees.
“From my stand point, it was an awful thing that someone would throw a party and expect security to do a job they didn’t,” Nelson said. “This could have been prevented easily. All (the Moose Lodge) had to do was report what they were seeing.
“It’s called 9-1-1.”
Moose Lodge attorney William D. Schuster didn’t return calls seeking comment.
Judge Joe W. Hilberman is scheduled to have an initial status conference with attorneys on the case Sept. 6.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 13, 2005. Read the original PDF.