St. Guillen family plans to sue N.Y. for $100m

The mother of Imette St. Guillen, a slain graduate student from Boston, has put the state of New York on notice that she intends to file a $100 million lawsuit for failure to take steps that may have prevented her 24-year-old daughter's death.

Maureen St. Guillen of Boston filed a notice of claim in New York on Thursday, the first step toward a lawsuit. But the state may only be one of many legal targets, said her lawyer.

``We're looking at the state, the federal government, the bar, the bar owners," said Joseph Tacopina, a New York lawyer. ``We're keeping our options open."

Imette St. Guillen's body was found bound and tied in a lot in Brooklyn on Feb. 25. Police later charged Darryl Littlejohn , 41, a bouncer at a SoHo bar where St. Guillen was last seen alive , with her death .

DNA testing linked Littlejohn to blood found on ties that had been used to bind St. Guillen's hands, authorities said.

Littlejohn has pleaded not guilty to killing St. Guillen and is being held in a New York jail. He was on parole from a robbery conviction at the time of St. Guillen's death.

Maureen St. Guillen's legal filing names New York's parole board, parole department, and correction department as potential lawsuit targets. Tacopina said parole officers had negligently lost track of Littlejohn.

``Both state and federal parole authorities have already admitted to lapses," he said. ``This guy fell through the cracks."

Maureen St. Guillen has 90 days to sue New York. The filing does not affect any other potential lawsuits she may file.

``The family has not yet decided to file any lawsuit, although that is something they are weighing," Tacopina said.

The St. Guillen family may also sue the Falls bar, where Littlejohn worked, Tacopina said. It is against New York State law to hire convicted felons as bouncers, and the bar failed to adequately check his background, he said.

The St. Guillen family could not be reached yesterday.

Imette St. Guillen was a graduate of Boston Latin and George Washington University. She was an honors student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan when she was killed.

``Maureen's purpose is not to extract money from lawsuits. She's going to put it toward foundations and helping other students and children," Tacopina said. ``But the real thrust behind the lawsuits would be to force change on the system that so woefully failed Imette St. Guillen."

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.