Paul Gray’s Widow’s Suit Dismissed, Five-Year-Old Daughter’s Suit Proceeds

In February, it was decided that the wrongful death suit filed by Brenna Gray, widow of Slipknot bassist Paul Gray, would go before the Iowa Supreme Court, to determine if the time limit on filing such a suit could be changed. The suit was against Dr. Daniel Baldi, Gray’s doctor who was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter soon after Gray’s death.

Now, Brenna Gray’s suit has been dismissed by the Iowa Supreme Court based on her waiting too long after Gray’s death to file it. However, Brenna also filed a suit against Baldi on behalf of her infant daughter, October Gray, which the court ruled may proceed.

According to the Des Moines Register, October was born in August of 2010, three months after her father died.Baldi’s attorney, Connie Diekema, claimed that October Gray had no relationship with her father and therefore should be unable to sue. But in the ruling written by Justice Daryl Hecht, her suffering is valid none the less:

“Whatever deprivation of consortium (October Gray) is currently experiencing is no less real just because she did not experience it while in utero.”

Hecht then made it very clear that this ruling had no bearing on Iowa’s abortion laws. Diekema believes that even if October’s case goes before a jury, her client will be acquitted because he as done no wrong.

Obviously, this case has taken a turn for the strange. More so, one must wonder how it will affect October Gray herself. On the one hand, as lawyer Bruce Stoltze argued, Gray has no father now, and if Baldi is responsible for that then he should face justice. More so, Brenna Gray is now raising October on her own, and any financial reward she might get from Baldi would help her do so with some ease.

But that said, October Gray is five years old. Is it right to make her the center of a controversial legal battle that she cannot possibly understand? Isn’t it manipulative to file this suit on her behalf? Will she look back on this later in life and wonder why she was dragged into it? Will it cause her trouble regarding other legal issues, when she had no say in her participation in this case?

Let us know what you think in the comments. We’ll let you know if this story develops any further.

[via Loudwire]