UPDATE: City Of Lake Elsinore Rejects Wrongful Death Claims

UPDATE March 12: In a unanimous vote, the Lake Elsinore City Council voted to reject the wrongful death claims filed by Wildomar residents Thomas Ciccarelli and his baby daughter Kaylie.

ORIGINAL POST March 9: The Lake Elsinore City Council will consider next week whether to reject claims filed by a Wildomar man who says his wife died last year due to toxic soil that he contends was transported to his community from Lake Elsinore.

The claims will come before city council members Tuesday night during a regularly scheduled meeting set for 7 p.m. at Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District headquarters.

According to city documents, the named claimants--Thomas Ciccarelli and his baby daughter Kaylie--filed the paperwork with the city clerk’s office Feb. 11.

Both claims are for damage or injury related to the Aug. 9, 2012 death of Fatima Ciccarelli, who was Thomas’s wife and mother to Kaylie.

Ciccarelli and some of his neighbors in the Autumnwood community of Wildomar claim the soil on which their homes were built was imported from Lake Elsinore and was contaminated with toxic chemicals.

Fatima died at age 36, shortly after she gave birth to the couple’s baby, and her husband questions whether she was poisoned.

The city’s insurance claims administrator has advised that the wrongful death claims are not covered under Lake Elsinore’s policy, according to the city documents.

Additionally, the city attorney has advised there are no facts suggesting Lake Elsinore “engaged in any activities transporting soil or materials to the Autumnwood development nor did the City of Lake Elsinore exercise any land use or inspection activities with respect to that development,” the city documents show.

“The claim itself also provides no factual information supporting a connection between the death of Fatima Ciccarelli and any actions by the City of Lake Elsinore,” the city documents read.

He admitted records show trash and other debris were mixed in, but he maintained the records show no contamination.

If city council follows the staff recommendation to reject the Ciccarelli claims, the family will have the option of filing a lawsuit against the city.