Parents file suit in fatal tiger attack

The parents of a teenager killed in a Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo sued the city and the zoo Tuesday as the first anniversary of the mauling neared.

Marilza and Carlos Sousa filed a wrongful death suit in San Francisco County Superior Court almost a year after their son, Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, was killed when a Siberian tiger escaped its enclosure.

Their lawyer, Michael Cardoza, said the family hopes they can reach a settlement with the zoo. “It will never bring total closure to this, but it will begin their healing process because they won’t have to relive this again through a lawsuit,” Cardoza said Tuesday.

The suit claims the enclosure’s wall was lower than the recommended national standard and alleges that zoo officials ignored employees’ warnings that the wall was not tall enough. The family is seeking unspecified damages.

The 243-pound tiger, Tatiana, also attacked the San Jose teenager’s two friends.

Paul Dhaliwal and his brother Kulbir were injured before police shot and killed the tiger. The brothers have also filed suit.

Matt Dorsey, a spokesman for City Atty. Dennis Herrera, said the city’s agreements with the nonprofit San Francisco Zoological Society means the zoo must decide whether to settle.

“We do hope that all of the parties involved in the case can reach a just resolution,” Dorsey said. “We also recognize what a difficult tragedy this has been for the Sousa family and our hearts go out to them.”