TAMPA - A Florida man wants payback from a Tampa property management company after an apartment complex fire killed his mother.
The complaint was filed on April 20 in the Hillsborough County Circuit Court by plaintiff Douglas Stalley as the estate representative for his mother, Meralys Velazquez.
The defendants in the case include Captive Club Apartments, Captiva Club Multifamily LLC and Vidalta Property Management LLC. Collectively the defendants own, manage and lease the apartments at 4541 Castaway Dr. in Tampa, where the decedent lived.
According to the complaint, a fire broke out in Velazquez's apartment on May 15, 2019. The fire then spread into her apartment and the decedent died as a result of her severe burns, smoke inhalation injuries and carbon monoxide poisoning.
The defendants are sued for negligence totaling at least $30,000 in damages requested. The plaintiff is represented by the Barnes Trial Group of Tampa.