Lawsuit Dismissed in Wisconsin Fire Death

A wrongful death lawsuit has been dismissed against the owner of a western Wisconsin apartment building that burned in 2009 and killed three men.

According to court documents, the family of victim Ronald Stuart Beck Sr., building owner Corazon Peterson and her insurance companies agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice.

That means the lawsuit cannot be re-filed and is common when settlements are reached. But no settlement papers were filed, and attorneys did not respond to calls from the Winona Daily News.

The Hotel Tap building in Independence, Wis., failed fire inspections before the blaze that also killed 44-year-old Gerardo Reyes Perez and 35-year-old Humberto Hernandez Vanegas.

The families of the other men also filed a joint wrongful death lawsuit. A trial date is set for March 2011 in that case.

Information from: Winona Daily News