The family of the woman found murdered two years ago in a Union Street basement is suing the organization that placed her killer in the building where she lived.
The family of
Valerie Washington contends the organization, Mohawk Opportunities, knew of the dangers Harold Michael Ortiz posed to residents, and Washington in particular, and failed to warn anyone but their own employees.
The
2015 attack by Ortiz left Washington dead in the basement of 1330 Union St. and another tenant, Ralph Carson,
near death. Ortiz is now serving 30 years to life in prison for both attacks.
According to the Washington suit, both Washington and Ortiz were clients of Mohawk Opportunities. Washington already lived at the Union Street address and Mohawk placed Ortiz there in late-August 2015.
By that time, the lawsuit claims, Mohawk staff was afraid of what Ortiz was capable of and had a safety plan in place based on an in-office incident. Mohawk advised staff not to allow themselves to be alone with Ortiz, the suit reads.
Ortiz later complained to a Mohawk employee about Washington, saying "someone will do or ought to do something to her," according to the suit.
"Mohawk Opportunities knew about this guy's propensities, that he made a clear threat to someone, having made that threat to Valerie," attorney Steve Kouray, who represents the estate, said Thursday. "They owed her a duty to warn and they failed in that duty."
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