UPDATED MAY 6, 2010:
The estate of Nashville business owner Christopher “Buck” Nadeau is being sued by the estate of his partner, Brandon Jewell, for negligence in the Feb. 28 accident that claimed both their lives.
The suit, filed March 23 in the Circuit Court of Davidson County, alleges that Nadeau was driving under the influence of an intoxicant and was legally intoxicated. The two were returning home from an evening that included attending the annual Human Rights Campaign dinner.
Jewell’s mother, Cynthia Michael, filed the action for herself and on behalf of Jewell’s father, Bruce J. Jewell. It alleges the two have endured emotional and mental distress, and have incurred funeral expenses, medical expenses and loss of earning potential due to Jewell’s death.
The plaintiffs are seeking $5 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages.
Michael lives in Buckley, Mich.; she is being represented by attorney Bart Durham in the legal action.
Michael says that she filed the lawsuit in the days following her son's death because Nadeau's family and executors would not allow her access to the home her son shared with him, nor would let her retrieve his belongings.
"The news of my son's death was published there before he was identified and we were notifeid," Michael said. 'I have MS and was unable to attend the funeral held there on March 4 because I was planning his funeral here for the following Saturday. And when I did get to Nashville I was not allowed to enter Buck's home, even though I had said I would allow the police to enter with me. I wanted my son's possessions, and between that and the alcohol content in Buck's blood that the toxicology showed, that's why I filed the lawsuit. I don't want people in Nashville to think that I was just some negligent mother who didn't want to attend her son's funeral and then caused trouble."