$28-Million Claim Filed Against State in Cougar Attack on Girl

A lawyer representing a 5-year-old girl who was mauled by a mountain lion last March in an Orange County park filed a $28-million claim against the state Tuesday, charging that the big cats have been allowed to multiply in south Orange County and officials failed to adequately warn of known dangers.

Attorney Richard J. Staskus of San Jose charged that state Fish and Game Department officials, who have a responsibility for managing wildlife, are at least partly responsible for the attack on Laura Small at the Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park near San Juan Capistrano.

Susan Small, the victim’s mother, told authorities that she and Laura had been wading in a shallow creek when the lion suddenly grabbed the girl by the head and critically injured her. Laura has undergone surgery six times and is showing signs of improvement from eye and head injuries, her father said.

Last week, Staskus filed a similar $28-million claim against Orange County, which owns the park. Such claims are required before a lawsuit can be brought against a government entity. Usually, they are routinely rejected.

A Fish and Game spokeswoman said that officials had received the claim but declined further comment.

After the attack, state officials said they knew of no other instance in California in which a mountain lion made an unprovoked attack on a human. A sign in the visitors center at the 7,500-acre wilderness park stated:

“The cougar or ‘mountain lion’ is quiet and secretive with a healthy aversion to humans.”

But Staskus charged at a press conference Tuesday that parks and wildlife officials should have been aware of attacks in other states in recent years.

Doesn’t Know Where He Is

“The bottom line is that mountain lions do attack people,” Staskus said, adding: “The mountain lion doesn’t know if it is in Texas or California.”

In Orange County, parks officials posted warning signs after Laura was attacked during a family outing.

A statewide moratorium on hunting mountain lions has been in effect since 1972. At the start of the moratorium, the statewide mountain lion population was estimated at 2,200, but officials now put the number at about 5,500.