Late last year, Coplan + Crane partners Ben Crane and Ervin Nevitt filed a lawsuit against Chicago-area property owner and management companies Chatham Commons Condo Association and PIP Management for the wrongful death of one of their tenants.
Rickisha King-Tiggs was a 25-year-old tenant of the complex who was shot and killed by neighboring tenant Eugene Arnold. For several years prior to her death, Rickisha was harassed and threatened on the premises by Arnold. The situation became dire for Rickisha in June 2022 when her harasser brutally attacked her. Despite herself, her mother, and other women at the property experiencing and reporting the harassment, their concerns were widely ignored, and the property owner and management companies did nothing to keep Rickisha safe. Unfortunately, Rickisha was killed by Arnold in October 2022. Had Chatham Commons Condo Association and PIP Management taken her concerns more seriously and worked to provide a safe living environment as promised, Rickisha could still be alive today.
Her mother, Misty, represented by Coplan + Crane, was recently featured by the Chicago Tribune. Misty remarked how her daughter “shined so bright”, and following her murder, she “couldn’t bring herself to live in the building on Drexel, and she couldn’t bear to stay with friends who had children.” Numerous systemic failures contributed to this tragic event, and as experts in premises liability, our firm is determined to ensure such a tragedy can never happen again.
Attorney Ben Crane said, “Safety for the people of Chicago is something we take very seriously. We look forward to bringing justice on behalf of Rickisha and Misty and hope this case prompts property management changes that ensure a safer city for all.”
