Lawsuit against 911 dispatcher's deadly mistake can proceed, St. Louis judge rules

ST. LOUIS • A city police dispatcher who sent officers to the wrong address during a domestic dispute before an attacker returned and murdered two people may be held liable in civil court for the death of only one of the victims, a St. Louis judge has ruled.

Circuit Judge Robert H. Dierker dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit's claims that Tony Jordan's murder July 9, 2014, in the 5800 block of Cabanne Avenue could have been prevented if the veteran dispatcher had not misheard the 911 caller's address and sent police to a home about a block away.

Dierker ruled, however, that the lawsuit's claims the dispatcher's error led to the death of the 911 caller herself must go to trial.

The killer, Adrian Houston, 39, of University City, was sentenced in January to 20 years in prison after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lawsuit-against-dispatcher-s-deadly-mistake-can-proceed-st-louis/article_ed3cdfd8-08d0-51ba-8a7e-c409d03cc4bf.html