> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Parents forge ahead with wrongful death suit - URL: https://www.smdp.com/parents-forge-ahead-with-wrongful-death-suit/ - Published: 2003-11-10T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T03:11:17.000Z - Author: Carolyn Sackariason - Tags: Crime, Brentwood, #archive-import *Parents pursue lawsuit, despite DA’s warnings* The parents of a 17-year-old girl who died of a drug overdose while in police custody will continue with their lawsuit against the LAPD, despite warnings from the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office that it will pursue attorney fees if they lose the case. LA Deputy City Attorney Geoffrey Plowden last month pressured Angelique Bernstein and Sarkis Sarkissian, the parents of Katrina Sarkissian, who fatally stabbed Santa Monica High School sophomore Deanna Maran in 2001, to drop their wrongful death suit against the LAPD. Katrina Sarkissian was being questioned by police on Nov. 18, 2001 when she passed out at the West Los Angeles Police Station. Police took Sarkissian and her 15-year-old half-sister into custody for their role in the fatal stabbing of Maran, 15, the night before at an unsupervised teenage party in Westwood. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office ruled that Sarkissian had overdosed on antidepressant capsules before she left her Brentwood home with detectives. The autopsy revealed that Sarkissian had taken 43 capsules of Nortriptyline, a prescription antidepres-sant — twice the average fatal dose. Katrina Sarkissian and her half-sister were picked up by police at 1:55 p.m. Paramedics were called 45 minutes later, after she collapsed. Katrina Sarkissian allegedly told detectives that she felt sleepy during the interview. She was pronounced dead at 5:32 p.m. Gary Cassleman, the attorney representing Bernstein and Sarkis Sarkissian, said he wasn’t ready to drop the case because more research has to be done. “It may turn out that we dismiss the case, but it will be my decision,” he said. “I’m not going to dismiss it just because they told me to.” Prosecutors had warned Cassleman that they would go after legal fees if he didn’t drop the lawsuit. The suit alleges that Sarkissian would have survived had the two detectives, Jim Hays and Kirby Carranza, immediately summoned paramedics when they were questioning her. Cassleman said the detectives should have observed odd behavior from the teenager as the drugs kicked in, especially since Bernstein told police that her daughter was prescribed the pills. Cassleman, who is operating strictly on a contingency basis, said he isn’t threatened by the prospect of his clients paying high attorney fees because Plowden collects a salary. “He’s just a guy that sits down there and collects a paycheck anyway,” Cassleman said. Plowden said he will make a motion within the next two months seeking to have the case thrown out of court. Otherwise, a jury trial is set for May 11, 2004. Plowden said police possess certain immunities when responding to life and death situations, particularly because of lawsuits like this. If they didn’t have immunity, paramedics and police would be hesitant to save anyone’s life for fear of being sued, Plowden added. Plowden added that Cassleman must prove that police and emergency workers acted with “deliberate indifference” or “reckless negligence” when they responded to Katrina Sarkissian’s seizure. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 10, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/111003.pdf?ref=smdp.com)