On October 17, 2013, Patti and Ronald Saylor, parents of Ethan Saylor who died at the hands of Frederick County, Maryland police after he refused to leave a movie theatre because he didn't have a ticket to watch the show a second time, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Maryland. The lawsuit named Westview Regal Cinema, the police officers who were acting as security guards, the Frederick County Sheriff's Department and Frederick County, Maryland as defendants for various actions including negligence, wrongful death and violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In the introduction to the complaint, the plaintiffs Patti and Ron Saylor through their attorney stated, "if any of the defendants had heeded Mr. Saylor's aide as to how to deal with Mr. Saylor, his tragic and unnecessary death would have been avoided."
On December 23, 2013 the defendants filed their Motion to Dismiss the Saylor's lawsuit. Among other allegations the defendants stated that Mr. and Mrs. Saylor and Ethan himself were contributorily negligent; Mr. and Mrs. Saylor by allowing Ethan to be out in the community without an aide who could control him, and Ethan for resisting when the officers physically removed him from the theater.
The NDSC strongly disagrees with this assertion. Under this assumption, people with disabilities would need to have constant supervision lest they or their parent/s would be considered negligent in the case of any accident, negligence or misconduct of other individuals.
We will keep you updated on any developments. For an excellent article published on the anniversary of Ethan's death, visit the
website of the Denver Post.