Long Beach : Victim of Shooting Sues Former Boyfriend

Julie Alban, the young woman whose former boyfriend, Bradley Ackerman, was convicted of paralyzing her by shooting her in the back, has filed a civil lawsuit accusing him of battery, negligent intoxication and infliction of emotional distress.

“I’ve already incurred lots of expenses, and health care costs are only going to escalate,” said Alban, 23. “If Brad is sincere in feeling horrible about what he’s done, there is something he can do--he can make every possible effort to see that my medical needs are taken care of.”

Ackerman, the 24-year-old stepson of Long Beach Press-Telegram Chairman Daniel H. Ridder, is in County Jail awaiting sentencing Feb. 6 on a conviction of attempted first-degree murder. During the trial he testified that, depressed by his failure to become a professional tennis player and mounting gambling losses, he took an overdose of Valium and inadvertently shot Alban while attempting to kill himself.

The lawsuit, filed in Long Beach Superior Court, does not specify a dollar amount.