On October 3, 2023, lawyers from Tucker Ellis LLP filed a $5 million claim on behalf of the family of Ryan Lim (deceased) against the San Diego County Medical Examiner for negligence, dereliction of duty, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The claim stems from the death of 19-year-old Ryan Lim in November 2022. The claim alleges that for five months – during which time Renee Lim had reported her son missing and was actively searching for him – the San Diego Medical Examiner failed in its duty to make reasonable efforts to identify Ryan Lim’s body while it was in its custody and control, and to notify his next of kin of his death – actions that caused the plaintiffs to suffer unnecessary trauma and emotional distress.

Marc R. Greenberg, a partner with Tucker Ellis LLP, represents the Lim family in the action.

“This egregious failure of the San Diego County Medical Examiner to identify Ryan’s body for five months caused his family and particularly his mother – who never stopped searching for Ryan – unimaginable anxiety, fear, and desperate longing,” Mr. Greenberg said. “Ms. Lim’s pain was exponentially multiplied by her ultimate realization that, during the entire time that she was searching for Ryan, his body lay alone and disregarded by the Medical Examiner, reducing daily to a distressing condition that robbed her not only of the chance to see her son’s face one last time, but also of the peace of laying him to his final rest in a timely manner after his death. No parent should ever have to endure such pain – pain that the Medical Examiner’s statutory duty was expressly designed to prevent.”

The plaintiffs are seeking a total of $5 million in damages – $1 million for each of the five months that the Medical Examiner failed to make the statutorily required effort to identify Ryan and notify his family.[1]

A copy of the filed claim is attached.

For more information, contact Marc R. Greenberg at 213.430.3355 or Matt Fletcher at 949.622.2600.

[1]  Before a lawsuit can be filed against a government agency, such as the County of San Diego, the plaintiff must first file a claim with the agency. If the claim is not responded to within 45 days it is considered denied, after which a lawsuit can be filed.