E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Madonna and Matthew Badger cry during the arrival of their daughters' caskets at Saint Thomas Church in New York on Jan. 5, 2012. At the rear, holding their shoulders, is her boyfriend Michael Borcina.
The father of three girls who died in a raging Christmas Day fire in Connecticut is seeking to administer their estate, a maneuver that would allow him to represent it in any potential lawsuit -- about which no decision has been made, his attorney said Monday.
The estate filing was made last Thursday in Stamford Probate Court on behalf of Matthew Badger, whose daughters -- 10-year-old Lilly and 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah -- perished in the blaze in Stamford.
"All it seeks is a very simple thing: to appoint Matt Badger as an administrator of his children’s estate," said his attorney, Richard Emery. "In order for him to represent the estate in any potential lawsuit -- about which there’s been no decision whatsoever -- he has to be the administrator of the estate. So that’s a prerequisite but it’s by no means a commitment to sue or even a decision to sue."
The girls' grandparents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson, also died in the fire. Their mother, Madonna Badger, and her boyfriend, Michael Borcina, a contractor who was renovating the Stamford home, escaped without serious injury.
Authorities established that embers in a bag of discarded ashes started the blaze.
"There are certainly very substantial concerns about his (Borcina) having allowed kids to live there while he was the contractor in that event," Emery said. "The fact that there was a severe fire hazard there, there’s no doubt about that."
The New York Post first reported about the estate filing, saying it could be used for a potential wrongful death claim.
"There are any number of possibilities, none of which have been decided upon," Emery said. "This is just a preliminary matter and it preserves the right to do things later on. But it certainly does not commit us to any course of action."
A judge would likely make a decision on the estate filing within a month, said Emery.
"The kids had some property and that property has to be disposed of and ... that (having estate control) also would give him the authority to dispose of that property," he added.
According to CBS 2, construction workers told police the alarms and extinguishers had been taken out of the house and stored in the garage, as painters began working on the interior.
The police investigation was ongoing -- about 90 percent complete -- but they were expecting to meet on Tuesday with the local state’s attorney about their findings thus far, said Capt. Richard Conklin, of the police's bureau of criminal investigations.
They will be "giving him a large portion of our investigation even though it’s not complete, so he can start reviewing that and come up to speed and see if he has any input or additional questions," Conklin said, adding that he could not comment on their findings. "It’s such a lengthy, large investigation that we want to get him what we have so far so he can begin to digest it."
Emery noted that: "We have and we are continuing to conduct a very thorough and intense investigation of what occurred there."
Madonna Badger attempted to take her own life in late January, reports said. Her attorney, Stan Twardy, Jr., declined to comment on the filing. A call placed to Borcina's attorney was not immediately returned.
Emery said his client was working on a foundation in memory of his children to help other youth and to help avoid such disasters, but he was "a complete wreck."
"It’s unimaginable how depressed and upset he is. ... His whole life is burned up in that fire," he said.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
Leave a Comment:
Complete wreck is an understatement....I don't know if I could go on after that one....
This is going to get real fugly.
My guess is the lawyer's will win.
The greed and selfishness of humankind never ceases to amaze! The father is real slime to even think about suing over the death of these girls and their grandparents. This was all an unfortunate accident. It was Grandpa who put the ashes into a paper bag that started the fire. Who puts fresh ashes into a paper bag? A lawsuit is not going to bring back the people who died. It's nothing but greed and vindictiveness on the part of the father.
I could not agree with you more, ABCzyx. He sounds like a man who hasn't gotten over the divorce.
Or maybe he is just morning his daughters. 5 dead and you think it is about his divorce. Brain dead much?
I'll tell ya something I learned about grief, though it in no way compares to the unimaginable pain these people must be feeling. People have steps, if you will, and anger and vengeance is one of them. Mostly it becomes a greed thing because that is often literally all there is left to take. It is a part of the process, and it sucks, but it is necessary in order to attain some sort of "shield" to get them past it. I can say that these two parents are in my thoughts and prayers, and I hope that they someday find peace and comfort, as well as forgiveness, with one another.
I am not so sure I could go on after something like this. I cant imagine.
You know, sometimes awful things happen and there is no malevolence or ill-will involved in the aftermath; just necessary and appropriate legalities. This article is pretty clear about the purpose of the filing. And because of the relationships involved this also makes the most sense. Criminal negligence, wrongful death charges may ultimately be brought by the state even without the active involvement of the survivors. It is clearly best, under the circumstances, for the only survivor whom was not present nor in any way potentially liable for the events of that terrible night to be fully able to manage the financial response to whatever may play out in the courts.
Even after tragic deaths, ...life goes on; as do the significant costs of resolving estates in the aftermath of such tragedies. We shouldn't be so quick to ascribe unsavory motivations to people. The laws of the state are cold, emotionless and unmoved by the presently raw emotions of these survivors. But the laws of the state will prevail, and responsible adults -- especially when grieving -- secure sound legal counsel to assist with the unpleasant legalities, and if wise, follow that legal advice.
I also have to agree with your side, Robert. That does make sense.
The father did not have custody. I can see exactly what will happen. If he gets control of the estate, he will sue the contractor boyfriend, and the mother will get nothing at all. If the judge allows this, he's crazier than a bedbug.
ABCzyx-the contractor Borcina put the ashes in the bag not the grandfather. CT law divides any estate between the surviving parents. "greed and vindictiveness"?? How about accountability under law for his three dead girls? Sounds like any financial judgment will go to a foundation in memory of the three girls. Is that greed?
ABCxyz...."this was all an unfortunate accident" and you know this how? There are very few accidents on construction sites....but lot of inattention and bad practices. My sympathies to the families....but let the chips fall where they may.
'A Yank in Australia' wrote:
REPLY: What an absurd thing to write! Of course this was an accident. Why would you even suggest that this was anything but "accidental"? Are you just being a know-it-all, ...again? That gets very, very old.
There has not been one single suggestion from police, fire inspectors or the state that this was anything but an accident. They know EXACTLY the cause, and how the fire started and spread. Are you suggesting that someone intentionally caused this fire and intentionally took these five live? What do you know that every other person whom is actually INVOLVED with this case does not know? Come on, let's hear your wisdom and insight. We'll wait.
Even if negligence is determined to have been involved, that would not mean that this wasn't an accidental fire. Fires always have a cause. Carelessness and/or negligence are often responsible; but that does not make it intentional.
In case you are unfamiliar with the definition of the word, "accident", here, let me bring you up to speed with a word with which every other English speaking person in the world is familiar ....except, apparently, you:
accident — n
1.
an unforeseen event;
2.
anything that occurs unintentionally or by chance;
3.
a misfortune or mishap, esp one causing injury or death
Easy there Robert.....I did not insinuate otherwise.....I just wanted to know if ABCxyz was there because she was so sure it was an accident. My understanding is the investigation is continuing and that the police and fire investigators had not made any definitive statements other than it was tragic. It may well have been an "accident" but having spent many years on construction sites I know there are few accidents but lots of inattention and carelessness.....which causes "misfortune or mishap".
How you get know it all, absurd. intentional, etc out of what I wrote is beyond me....but obviously you do know it all.....were you there? Ever hear of "negligent homicide"....let the chips fall where they may, lives have been lost....let the investigation run its course....and ring me later.
@wowed by the force -- it's commonly accepted that there are 5 steps in the grieving process (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance), but vengeance isn't one of them. I don't know what this father's motivation is, but vengeance is not "part of the process" unless someone chooses to deal with anger in that fashion. It's also not very effective in the long term so if that's the case, I hope he gets some more therapeutic help.
Anger can become vengeance quite easily, especially if someone is considered the cause of the accident that takes someones life. Believe me when I say this, as I was the one that was considered responsible for my husbands death, all because we had a fight and he took off walking. His mother has made my life hell in many respects because of "vengeance". As well as the person who hit him with her car, even though it really wasnt her fault, either. People do choose to deal witht their anger in this way, and that is a sad thing, and like you, I hope it isnt the way it is dealt with. But, I am all too aware of what someone can do when they lose a child. I dont really blame her, who is to say I wouldnt have done the same thing if it were my son?
Point is- Yes, people can and do use vengeance as a way of dealing with the anger.
According to the article, the mother attempted suicide after this horrific event ... so she likely isn't in the right presence of mind to handle details associated with the death of her daughters or parents. Who does that leave to deal with the details of death for the two little girls ... the boyfriend? Hardly.
This woman was wrong to take her children along on her wild ride of a life. She split from their father and had an irresponsible contractor/boyfriend sleeping in the home with the young children. He was not a father and didn't know how to act as one...such as demanding there be fire alarms in the house with your children. Who puts fresh ashes in a paper bag? who puts the paper bag on the porch? The same person that took the fire extinguishers out of the home and removed the alarms to paint? Then why not stay in a hotel for a few days, what about the fumes??? I just don't understand why this woman would trust her children to such a contractor or such a boyfriend...bizarre.
I think you are being too cruel in your assessment of what happened. I think I read somewhere, it was grandpa who put the ashes in a bag so the girls would not worry about Santa. It was just a huge horrible accident and I think to start lawsuits is the wrong way to go. This should not be about money at all. My smoke alarm was without batteries for two weeks and honestly you just don't think it will happen to you. I will now be more careful about about that. I think your condemnation of the mother is way off the mark. She will never really ever get over this and I am hoping she can find a reason to keep going on and find good in her life.
Wild ride of a life? Really? You aren't jumping to any conclusions there are you? Yes, there were stupid decisions made about the ashes and fire alarms that had tragic consequences. But this woman had a right to leave her husband. For all we know the ex-husband was an a-hole and beat her, or cheated on her. The boyfriend could have children as well for all we know about him. You have no clue about the b/f's parenting skills, so why don't you just restrain yourself and only comment on what you do know.
This whole thing just sounds like a couple of bad decisions that ended in tragedy.
You have no idea what is going on in "that" womans life...you just read a story and decided you have tried and judged her all by your self! Wow i bet you think of yourself a christian too
The only way people such as tompca would be satisfied is if Badger herself would also have perished, for being such a "bad" mother. How dare she divorce the girls' father, and have a boyfriend on top of this?! Bad woman. Bad.
I have a child and if he died in a fire so would I. You go we go.
elizabeth brooks
Whether grandpa put the ashes in the bag or someone else is simply how the fire started. Like you, I have read elsewhere about this. Of note was that during the renovation as part of the permitting process no one was supposed to be living there because of the risk of fire, all the paint and other flammable materials, and the fact that the alarms and detectors would not be in place, as required by code.
As to whether the father is being greedy or not. Someone needs to represent the estate of the victims. Perhaps we should make the mother or boyfriend the administrators? I am sure they would have the interest of the estate at the top of their list... right after their own.
The grandparents are from my city, here in Louisville. My understanding is that they did have some money. It's possible the grandchildren were inheritors of the money and/or property. Therefore the still living mother or father would have to administrate the estate.
Trust_verify, what makes you so certain that the mother wouldn't have the best interest of the estate at heart? Why do you imply she would be selfish? Unless you are intimating that you think the fire was deliberately set and she wanted her children dead. From the suicide attempt, I'd say she is pretty distraught, as any parent would be, and it sounds like the father is equally a wreck. How do we know the father isn't money hungry? Maybe an impartial third party would be the best.
I guess things must work a little differently up there in CT, because here in KY, there's absolutely no problem with someone living in their home while its being renovated. Unless there is something like mold or asbestos that has to be removed, I don't know of any other reason why someone would have to move out of their home during renovation. So I don't understand why that could be used in some kind of wrongful death suit. Not having a working smoke detector doesn't make the home uninhabitable either - it's stupid to not have one, but you won't go to jail or get kicked out of your home over it.
Again Borcina the contractor put the ashes in the bag. And he was professionally responsible for the fire alarm system smoke detectors etc. let me emphasize-he was being paid to make sure that was right. My understanding is the lawyer was clear they are not even contemplating going after the mother. Look up the statutes on negligent homicide and manslaughter in the 2nd degree and then determine whether there is a colorable case.
There could be other reasons. my ex was bipolar and had a tendency to run off. After the new boyfriend figured out she had problems he would split and she would return. She finally ran off with a guy who had money, and after 16 years i had had enough. Course i did not get custody of our two kids. one of the problems with bipolar is they just dont see things correctly. and they dont deal with problems well, or money. I got a call about a year later. it was the guys wife wanting to know where she lived. she was going to kill her. so i lied and said i did not know where she was. She had the ride of her life. Me i got stuck several years later with two adult kids, meth addicts both. Finally got them off drugs. So i guess i did my part. However there may be other reasons why the woman left besides she just wanted to ride on the wild side. There are reasons to leave a marriage, abuse adultery etc. I saw nothing about that in the article, so it is possible that she could have had other problems. She had no problem with her kids living with her boyfriend, course that does go on a lot these days so that is not outa the norm. That maybe the grandfather had altzheimers and forgot to take out the bag could be. There are numerous problems in this country and one that i have noticed is people that get married dont really look into whether they really want to be married to this person. You know the guy meets the girl in a bar and about an hour later after three slow dances she or he says, "we have so much in common we drink the same light beer." and they end up with a drunk they cant stand. Seen it too many times. Bu5t to make a generality her actions are very similar to my ex wifes. I am just saying there may be other reasons for the situation she is in. And if it is her actions are not really her fault. Stupid yes, but not her fault.
KYEngineer
The attempt COULD be a sign of guilt? She might be biased in favor of the living boyfriend due to her relationship and not be able to handle losing him as well due to a lawsuit or criminal conviction? The fathers actions (if they follow his words) will tell us if he is money hungry. I can see a third party administrator appointed by the court but that meas the court would pay them out of the estate potentially reducing money intended for the fund.
I AGREE 100 % WITH TOMPKA!!! She decided she didnt want to be married anymore and brought the kids with her. She WAS NOT a responsible parent!. On top of everything else - the wife and boyfriend had their little master suite on the first floor!!!! The kids on the 2nd floor and parents on the 3rd didnt have a chance! Having raised 2, my husband and I would never have considered this in a million years! Have seen this a thousand times - Mom wants to have her fling and she doesnt care who she hurts in the process. But the courts still give these sluts priority when it comes to custody!
The people replying negatively to my comment are probably all people who are currently living or have in the past lived a "wild ride of a life"; they've probably left their spouses and let the children blow along with their breeze. There is a lot of that going on in American culture right now. So I'm not surprised that a lot of careless parents or careless parent-wannabes pipe up and dislike my comments.
Some of you that do have children should probably check your fire alarms if you find nothing wrong with this contractors actions.
Agree - take me out right along with those kids and throw me out in the ashes.
Interesting that this all started because they were perpetuating the Santa Claus myth. It is all just beyond sad.
divorce happens, bad decisions happen every day, these are REALITIES in life. finger pointing and blaming or villoniseing (sp?) anybody is pointless.....that said,
poor kids
Try clicking on spell-check if you question the spelling of a word and are too lazy to look it up. It only takes a second, probably less time than it took you to enter "(sp?)".
BTW, it's spelled villainizing. You weren't even close.
ABC is an english teacher. Get off of the computer and pay attention to your class, or quit correcting people.
i agree rob, people who check other people spelling should be off the computers, stop worrying about others spelling and grammar. this is a class, and who cares, as long as you get the idea of what they are trying to say. WHO CARES!!!
ABC need a life, desperately!!
spellcheck couldn't come up with it either, but thanks officer ABC what would us news vine posters do without the grammar / spelling police to correct us, you know... people like yourself who lead such amazing error proof lives that they feel they can correct others, kudos to your perfection, now get a life jerk.
We all make mistakes but I think the father should have control of the estate. Whether it was the mom, grandpa or boyfriend who stupidly disposed of the ashes, the fact remains that they were in mom's custody at the time. If the situation were reversed, no one would think twice about mom controlling the estate.
She had custody.. why should he have control of the "estate"? You lost me.
Because the wife's boyfriend was the contractor that allowed everyone to sleep in a partially renovated home with no fire extinguishers or smoke alarms. If the mother controlled the estate, she would be the executor and be put in the potentially awkward position of having to sue her own boyfriend. There is also a conflict of interest issue...if the mom controlled the estate perhaps she would not sue her boyfriend for wrongful death although his company could have some liability here, and put her feeling toward him above the best interest of the daughters' estate. The contractor would have to be bonded and insured.
An execuotr for the daughter would act on the daughters' behalf. They would be suing from the grave because their lives were unfairly taken away. Also, the grandpa had liability for his actions. he meant no harm but if he had insurance, there would be funds to access.
Money is no replacement for a loved one, but if there are parties whose actions contributed to these deaths they should answer for it.
Hope this helps.
Life happens, so does death; Lawsuits don't.
I cant imagine what the father or mother is going through. I have one daughter and cant fathom what it would be to lose her, 3 would be more than I could handle.
Unfortunately, no amount of suing or second-guessing will bring those kids or their grandparents back. I feel bad for all of the survivors.
Hopefully, the contractor/boyfriend will be out of the home renovation business for good, keeping other families safer in the future..
There's no winners here-the dad could get a gazillion dollars and what difference would it make? Nothing. Perhaps he wants some say so in how the children are remembered,and as their representative he could do that. All we can do is hope that these 2 people can somehow figure out a way to go on. What a terrible tragedy.
Maybe she should have had them wrapped up in asbestos blankets? sheesh
The dad is looking for someone to blame and the mother/girlfriend of the contractor sure isn't about to sue. So my first reaction was the dad was going ka-ching, but I think he wants to exact some revenge.
I can't believe he's not divorcing that piece of crap who fled the house with her boyfriend instead of trying to get her kids out. I can't understand how a mother's first instinct could not be to get her kids. Shameful!
Okay this comment got me going. Have you ever been in a home that is on fire? Until you have, you can't possibly say how you would have behaved. I was in my home when it blew up and burst into flames and my first thought was get out, get out, get out (I happened to be in my neighbor's duplex next to mine when it happened letting her know that there was a gas leak, in fact I still had her front door knob in my hand when it happened). Once "I" got out, then I said - OMG, my baby is still in MY house. I then did everything I could to get inside and couldn't as the door was locked, fireman rescued him from my house. Until you are actually in this situation you really don't know how you will behave. A lot of times self-preservation is the automatic instinct, then the others kick in.
Kimbo, I'm sorry you went through that...how scary!!
Your comment is uncalled for. You have no right to judge, you were not there and you have no idea where everyone was located, the amount of fire, where it started, etc.
The fact that the fire alarms were out of function is not an argument that it would of saved anyone. That was a hot fire, fast fire, in an older home. Period. The grandfather could of, for all anyone knows put the ashes in the wrong container. I feel bad for everyone but I don't think anyone needs to be blamed or sued. I get so tired of people suing, suing, suing.
Why does everyone keep saying the Grandfather moved the ashes?? Absolutely nowhere in this article does it state that he even touched them. This article actually has no statement as to who moved the ashes. Read the article over and you will see that.
This is the ONLY mention of ashes in the entire article:
"Authorities established that embers in a bag of discarded ashes started the blaze."
The wife and boyfriend had their little master suite on the first floor!!!! The kids on the 2nd floor and parents on the 3rd didnt have a chance! Having raised 2, my husband and I would never have considered this in a million years! Have seen this a thousand times - Mom wants to have her fling and she doesnt care who she hurts in the process. But the courts still give these sluts priority when it comes to custody!
Life in downstate New York is often so frenetic and distractible, that individuals have no time or energy to think clearly and rationally. This is one possible explanation for the impulsive culture, best described as, "NOT THINKING BEFORE ACTING."
There is no doubt this is a tragic situation, but consider why the father may want control of the estate, which is the topic of this article. Suppose any one or more of the following reasonably possible situations exist: (1) the boyfriend's business has substantial insurance that will pay a large claim and compensate the estate for the deaths, (2) the boyfriend may have substantial assets that are at risk due to possible negligence, and (3) the grandparents may have assets that are at risk due to possible negligence.
If the mom were to control the estate and sue someone or anyone, she may not go after the boyfriend or grandparents, just the insurance money. The father may be entitled to half of that, but why should the boyfriend or grandparents not be held responsible? Why should the father not be entitled to half of the judgment on the boyfriend or grandparents. He seems to just be protecting himself for some sort of punishment against responsible parties and compensation for his loss - while money will not adequately do anything for his loss, it seems to be the only remedy available.
The mother is the only next of kin to the kids, and she has already tried to kill herself. The father has all rights to seek control of the estate since the mother could cash out and die at any time.
There are news articles which indicate Michael Borcina was sued by a number of former clients. There were court orders to pay that he didn't comply with. If Madonna Badger is still with him, I could see why Matthew Badger might be wary the money could be diverted from the organization to honor the girls' memories. I think not only are his actions reasonable and understandable, he's being rather kind by specifying he's not going to sue Ms. Badger. I think the man just wants to make sure his daughters' memories are honored as intended. I certainly won't fault him for that.
My condolences to the parents and friends of the girls.
Tragic...but the father is protecting his girls' property, by what the article says. The contractor might try to sue the woman and her dead parents, you never know.
And OoonaOOna: didn't another article already say the parents were divorced? Confused. I would have died in the fire, for sure trying to save the kids. I would not have put warm ashes in a trash bag on the porch, not smart. The contractor removed the fire extinguishers?? What on earth does that do when refurbishing a house? Whenever I have done home remodels (I've done a few) I always made sure there were fully-charged extinguishers in the house, just in case.
This whole mess could have been avoided by a few simple steps, but it happened and people are just trying to move on and protect their interests.
I swear ... I question myself each and every time I read comments that go with stories such as this. Insensitivity ... lack of understanding ... intolerance ... belligerence ... hatred. I hate that it detracts from the actual story and how horrible each individual involved with that story must feel.
How many times have each of you removed batteries from the smoke detector with the intention of replacing it immediately after cooking? Not a single one of us knows exactly what the sequence of events were leading up to this horrible event. I don't know what the father's intent is and, to be quite honest, not sure why the media feels that we should know about this story. Regardless, blaming gets absolutely none of you anywhere. And I pray that your pious butt never finds yourself in a position that you are judged for your actions or inaction.
Amen!
Most people who take the batteries out put new ones in shortly after. This wasn't a one off. They were living in that home without smoke alarms for months. Then there's the certificate of occupancy issue and then the embers. Three mistakes, 2 long term ones had to be made for this tragic chain of events to start. I think most people could understand one of those things happening. But all 3, that takes it to at least negligence IMO.
Let's see,ashes in a paper bag,on a wooden porch,no smoke detectors in the house,no fire extinguishers in the house.Even during a remodel I keep fire extinguishers in the house.Sounds like a setup for disaster to me. Maybe grandpa had dementia? I know my mother would do things like that toward the end.She had alzhimers.
its bad enough these people lost there lives ...now they are going to do a lawsuit? against who? What a disgrace this world has become
Borcina was high on heroin. He just got out of rehab after being busted for it.
People have homeowners insurance to cover liability for negligent acts that harm others. Negligence such as putting embers in a bag in the garbage which results in a fire. that is the purpose of the adminsitration being set up. It would allow a claim to be filed on the homeowners insurance to collect the proceeds from the homeowners policy. Nothing greedy or selfins about the father in my opinion. This is what insurance is for. It would hardle cover the losses experienced by the father and mother.
It just seems to me that this is most definitely a pre-cursor to a wrongful death suit. But against who? The grandfather that put the ashes on the porch? The mom and/or boyfriend who didn't put the ashes on the porch and were themselves as much at risk as the children.
My take is that daddy is still pissed that mom divorced him and is looking for some 'get-aheads' here. If there was actually any criminal action on the part of the adults, seems to me that the investigation would reveal that and that the local district attorney's office would get involved.
I just can't help but get the feeling that daddy's trying to make a buck off the children's deaths and kick mom (and boyfriend) in the face while doing it.
The grandfather did not put the ashes in the bag-the contractor did. He would be a logical target.
The county attorney is evaluating a potential criminal prosecution.
Daddy wants to know how and why his children died- wouldn't you? Maybe he feels he owes them that?
My understanding is if there is a case and and an award then the money will go to the kids memorial foundation. How is that making a buck?
It is being investigated, a report has been sent to the DA. Part of the problem is the house was knocked down the day after, which made it harder to look for evidence. And interviews with the mother/boyfriend were delayed until weeks after the fire. I'm not saying there was anything deliberate, but I do think the girls & their grandparents are owed a proper investigation of the facts.
Also, are you aware the boyfriend also gave an interview after he got out of the hospital saying he & Ms. Badger were going to be ok and were trying to stay positive. How would you feel if someone talked like that after they just inadvertently caused the death of your kids? The boyfriend has also failed to pay judgments to former clients ordered by the court. If you were the dad and it was your little girls' memories being honored by an organization in their name, wouldn't you want to make sure any money goes where it should be and isn't mishandled?
Why do people say this is an "unfortunate accident." ? Amazing. The deaths were largely preventable.
#1 -- children should not be sleeping in a house without smoke alarms. You can have smoke alarms in the house on top of furniture -- they don't have to be attached to the walls, if there is painting. #2 -- I read it was the contractor who put the ashes in a paper bag. #3 Grandpa died trying to save one or two of the girls. Where is the WORLD were the mom and the contractor -- just standing outside? Mr. contractor said he tried to lead one of the girls out, but he got separated -- WHAT a loser!! How do you get separated from a little girl. You pick her up and carry her out, or you don't go. Sounds to me as if he outran her. This whole thing makes me ill.
.
The father is doing what any father would do to correctly and legally represent his children, read the laws folks it's not rocket science and he isn't greedy or vindictive. He is doing what's legally required to go through the steps of managing his deceased childrens posessions. As for a law suit that process will go where it needs to go.
Who leaves ashes in a bag? Why anyone one/all of us out here that has ever made a mistake. The Grandpa should have know better, and the contractor boyfriend probably should have if he had know the Grandpa did that.
It's a terrible mistake, none of them needs to be beat up with guilt over it anymore.
The house was a fire hazard and the mother and boy friend put them on the 3RD FLOOR. They knew it was a fire hazard, and yet that is what they did.
So the father is doing what any father in those circumstance,YES he should do everything to make sure that those two have not one more thing to do with those children.
I don't care how much that mother has suffered. She had a choice and she choose to ignore the problems that come from that much renovation. He kids and parents are dead because of her and her boyfriends carelessness.
If I were that father I would sue the boyfriend for every thing he has or will ever have.
The tragedy of this situation is that an adult male, who is a contracter and should know better, left a hot bag of embers INSIDE the house and then went to bed!!! That is pure negligence!!!!! I don't care if the kids asked him to clean out the fireplace so Santa didn't get burned. You leave the embers in the fireplace to cool off, or you take them outside into a safe area and pour water over them until you are sure they are out. His idiocy is the cause of 5 deaths. plain and simple!!!! Manslaughter, he deserves to go to jail.
She and Borcina should be ashamed of getting out of that fire without injury. Her children (at least one girl and the grandparents) were on the 2nd floor; the fire supposedly started with fireplace embers improperly disposed of. I doubt the fire started on the 2nd floor of that house. Sorry, but there's just no excuse. (Were they even home when the fire started?)