The mother of a New York tourist who was fatally punched has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a former assistant men’s basketball coach at Wake Forest University as well as the school itself.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the lawsuit was filed Tuesday in New York.
Donna Kent of Raleigh is seeking compensatory, statutory and punitive damages against Jamill Jones as well as the university.
Jones was sentenced in New York in July to three years of probation in the death of Sandor Szabo in August 2018.
Authorities said Szabo, who may have been intoxicated, banged on the window of Jones’ SUV. Police said Jones got out, punched Szabo and sped off.
Szabo fell and hit his head. He never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at a hospital two days later.
The lawsuit said Jones was in the city on a recruiting trip. The school has previously said that Jones’ trip was personal.
John Pierce, one of Kent’s attorneys, said in a statement that the lawsuit is “the only means to obtain justice for Mr. Szabo and his family who have suffered tremendously with his death.”
The newspaper could not reach Jones for comment. Chris Renfroe of New York City, one of Jones’ criminal defense attorneys, declined to comment. Cheryl Walker, a university spokeswoman, said the school will not comment on the “pending litigation at this time.”
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