January 13, 2014 - 8:03 PM
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The widow of a New Jersey bank executive who was shot to death in Puerto Rico sought Monday to withdraw a wrongful death lawsuit against his employer.
In the suit filed last year, Maurice Spagnoletti's widow accused officials at Doral Bank of conspiring to kill him for uncovering alleged fraud at the Puerto Rico-based institution. Doral denied the allegations and called the suit frivolous.
Lawyers for Marisa Spagnoletti and the couple's daughter filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for Puerto Rico as "the most prudent course of action at this juncture," according to court papers.
Lawyers for the bank have asked the court to dismiss the case "with prejudice," meaning it could not be re-submitted. They also indicated they would sanctions against the plaintiff's attorneys to recover legal costs.
"Plaintiffs' sudden voluntary dismissal of their own complaint, three days after the court-ordered deposition of Marisa Spagnoletti, effectively shows that Mrs. Spagnoletti's complaint is without merit and lacks any credibility," Doral said in a statement.
Spagnoletti, 56, was shot to death in June 2011 as he drove home in San Juan in what authorities said seemed like a professional attack. He had been an executive vice-president at Doral for about six months. No arrests have been made.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014