Family of Girl Who Died at Los Angeles Rave Settle Lawsuit

The family of a 15-year-old girl who died of an ecstasy overdose at a rave at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will receive a $190,000 lawsuit settlement on behalf of the stadium, the event’s organizer and the Coliseum’s manager.

Sasha Rodriguez got into the two-day Electric Daisy Carnival in 2010 even though the minimum entry age was 16. She collapsed at the rave and later died at a hospital. Her family sued the event’s organizer, Insomniac Inc., and the Coliseum for damages for personal injury and wrongful death.

An insurance company for Insomniac will pay $175,000 for its liability and the Coliseum’s, and an insurer for the stadium’s manager, Todd DeStefano, will pay an additional $15,000, lawyers for both sides told the Los Angeles Times.

A lawyer for Insomniac, however, said the event promoter is not admitting any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

“Insomniac was sued for who we were, not what we did,” Gary Jay Kaufman said in a statement. “If Sasha Rodriguez had snuck into the Hollywood Bowl during a Barry Manilow concert and overdosed on some drug, there never would have been a lawsuit.”

An attorney for the Rodriguez family contends Insomniac and the Coliseum were responsible for her death.

“There has to be oversight to prevent children from being able to gain entry and be put into a position of danger,” Steven D. Archer said.

The Coliseum commission briefly imposed a moratorium on rave events at the venue following Rodriguez’s death.