Bird Rock Bandits and Parents Sued; Bar Also Named

SAN DIEGO, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Suit was filed in San Diego Superior
Court today against Seth Cravens, Orlando Osuna, Matthew Yanke, Eric House and
Henri "Hank" Hendricks, all known as the "Bird Rock Bandits," a local La Jolla
gang, charged with the beating death of Emery Kauanui. Four of the five
defendants pled guilty to felonies in connection with the death, and are
awaiting sentencing. The fifth defendant, Seth Cravens, awaits trial on murder
charges.
On May 24, 2007, after drinking at the La Jolla Brew House, Cravens,
House, Osuna, Yanke and Hendricks went to Emery Kauanui's house to start a
fight with him, following a disagreement in the bar. At Kauanui's home, they
beat him severely, causing a brain injury that led to his death four days
later.
The lawsuit, brought by Emery's mother, Cindy Kauanui, also charges some
of the defendants' parents, William Hughes Cravens, Karen J. Cravens, Lisa C.
Walchef, Edna Ivette Osuna Labrenz, Ramon Sandoval Germez, Giancarlo M. Yanke
and Rachel Yanke, with "Parental Malpractice" for knowing the violent,
abusive, and dangerous behavior of their children when they were minors yet
failing to exercise any parental supervision, discipline, instruction or
control. "These kids would go out on weekends to find people to brutalize.
Despite complaints to their parents, juvenile arrests, and blood on their
childrens' hands, their parents did nothing," said Craig McClellan of The
McClellan Law Firm, attorneys for Cindy Kauanui. "At some point, parents have
to accept personal responsibility for failing to fulfill their parental
obligations and allowing these bloodbaths to continue," said McClellan.
The lawsuit also names BARKANDBREW INC., doing business as the La Jolla
Brew House, for serving beer to House and Yanke, who were not only minors, but
were intoxicated, according to the lawsuit. "The Brew House has a reputation
as a hangout for La Jolla High School students because it doesn't check
identification," said McClellan. "It continues to serve minors, as it did
House and Yanke, even after they were obviously intoxicated. Minors don't have
the judgment to know when to stop drinking and alcohol will cause people to
act in ways that good judgment would otherwise preclude. That's why we have
drinking age restrictions, which the Brew House ignored for profit," charged
McClellan.
Case Name:
CYNTHIA KAUANUI, Individually and as Successor in Interest of Decedent
Emery Kauanui, PLAINTIFFS vs.
SETH LOGOTAEAO CRAVENS; ERIC MATTHEW HOUSE; ORLANDO SANDOVAL OSUNA; MATTHEW
MURRAY YANKE; HENRI "HANK" QUINN-WILLIAM HENDRICKS; WILLIAM HUGHES CRAVENS;
KAREN J. CRAVENS; LISA C. WALCHEF; EDNA IVETTE OSUNA LABRENZ; RAMON SANDOVAL
GERMEZ; GIANCARLO M. YANKE; RACHEL YANKE; BARKANDBREW INC. dba LA JOLLA BREW
HOUSE; CLAUDETTE MANNIXX, Individually and as owner of BARKANDBREW INC., and
DOES 1-200, DEFENDANTS.
Case filed on July 22, 2008.
SOURCE The McClellan Law Firm

Craig McClellan of The McClellan Law Firm, +1-619-231-0505