According to reports, the wife of a US diplomat who murdered a UK teenager in a wrongful accident in 2019 is open to “mediate” with her parents – a wrongful death by a Virginia court Ruled against her attempt in the civil case.
43-year-old Anne Sackulus has admitted that she was driving on the wrong side of the road while leaving the US airbase in central England in August 2019, when her car was involved in an accident involving 19-year-old Harry Dunn’s motorcycle.
He was charged with death for dangerous driving, but the US State Department rejected a request to extradite him to Britain to face trial due to diplomatic immunity.
Dunn’s family filed a civil lawsuit in Alexandria last year in US district court. The Sacullis asked a judge to dismiss the case, arguing that a trial should be held in Britain instead.
Rejecting his request on Tuesday, US District Judge TS Ellis III said a civil trial in Britain would not be an adequate forum as the family made it clear that they had no intention of returning to the country.
Following the judge’s decision, Sackullas’ lawyers issued a statement: “As Anne has repeatedly stated, she is devastated by this tragic accident and will do anything to bring Harry back.
“He has consistently expressed his deepest condolences to the family, and wants to find a way to move forward a lot and bring peace and closure to the family,” the statement said. According to sky news.
Redd Seeger, a spokesman for the Dunn family, responded: “We are very happy this afternoon to see strong signals from Mrs. Sackullas and her personal counsel that they are willing to discuss options to find a way forward.
“I would urge Mrs. Jeffress and the Crown Prosecution Service to engage with each other as much as possible and the parents and I are more than happy to join those discussions if appropriate,” Seger continued.
“We are sure that, once a satisfactory solution is found, both families will be able to begin work towards recovery,” Seeger said. “Anne and her personal lawyer, Amy Jeffress, are prepared to discuss options, including mediation, to find a way forward for a resolution.”
In her decision, Ellis stated: “While it is plausible that defendant Anne Sackulus admits that she was negligent and that her negligence led to the death of Harry Dunn, it is not equivalent to accepting responsibility.
“The full acceptance of responsibility forces them to suffer losses due to their negligence and to take responsibility for their acts where they occurred, in the United Kingdom,” he said.
Sacullas’ lawyer, John McGuinn, has said that he was “appointed by an intelligence agency in the US” at the time of the accident – which was “particularly a factor” upon his departure from Britain.
Leave a Reply