Strange

Chimp Attack Victim Family Brings Lawsuit

by Jordan Yerman | March 17, 2009 at 08:05 am

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The family of Charla Nash, who remains in critical condition after being attacked by Travis the Chimp, has filed a $50 million lawsuit against Sandra Herold, the chimp's owner.

The suit asserts that Herold knew that Travis was "agitated" when she called Nash for help in controlling the chimp.

Nash has lost her hands, nose, lips, and eyelids; she could be blinded and may have suffered brain damage as well.

"It's imminent," said Charles J. Willinger, Jr., of the Bridgeport firm Willinger, Willinger and Bucci.

The firm represents Michael Nash, who was appointed conservator of his twin sister, Charla, after she was attacked by a chimpanzee in Stamford.

The suit also alleges that Herold had given the chimp medication that further upset the animal. Herold has made conflicting public statements about whether she gave Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, to Travis on the day of the attack. The drug had not been prescribed for the animal, police said.