Escondido
The off-again, on-again trial of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Leslie Landersman, who was mistakenly slain by an Escondido police officer after she was taken hostage, is off again.
Vista Superior Court Judge Zalman Scherer, citing a jam-packed court calendar, on Tuesday decided to put the trial off until May 17.
The family is seeking upwards of $1 million in damages from the City of Escondido because of Landersman’s death from police bullets on Aug. 26, 1983, after she was taken hostage by a bank robber.
Scherer met a week ago with attorneys for the family and city in hopes of reaching a settlement, but no agreement could be worked out. Landersman’s husband and other family members maintain they are eager for the case to go to trial so “the whole picture” of what occurred that day will be aired in public.
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