Austin Family Sues Joe Stack’s Wife
[Guest post by DRJ]
The family of Vernon Hunter, the IRS worker killed when Andrew Joseph Stack III crashed his plane into Austin’s IRS offices, has sued Stack’s wife. The family claims Mrs. Stack failed to warn others about her husband:
“According to the seven-page lawsuit filed in state District Court in Travis County, Sheryl Mann Stack had a duty to “avoid a foreseeable risk of injury to others,” including 68-year-old Vernon Hunter, who was killed Thursday.
“Stack was threatened enough by Joseph Stack that she took her daughter and stayed at a hotel the night before the plane crash,” the suit said.
Sheryl Stack has declined to comment on the incident, other than a written statement that said she was grief-stricken.”
The lawsuit reportedly also claims Stack was negligent in failing to maintain a proper height. I assume the plaintiffs are suing Stack’s estate regarding this claim.
Hunter’s attorney says he and his clients are interested in whether Mrs. Stack is eligible to receive insurance proceeds (if any) as a result of Stack’s death. I’m not sure whether a plaintiff could reach the spouse’s life insurance proceeds in the event of a judgment against Stack’s estate, but I assume the funds would be subject to any judgment obtained against Mrs. Stack.
— DRJ