Widow of San Bernardino shooting victim seeks $58 million in damages from county

The widow of a victim in the Dec. 2 San Bernardino terror attack has filed four claims against San Bernardino County seeking a total of $58 million in damages.

The claims, filed on behalf of Renee Wetzel and her children, were served Dec. 22 with the county clerk of the Board of Supervisors. The claims are the only ones filed thus far, according to the county.

Wetzel is seeking $3 million in lost wages and $25 million in general damages for the death of her husband, Michael Wetzel. She is also seeking $10 million in damages for each of her three minor children, identified in the claims by their initials.

The claims say Michael Wetzel’s death “was preventable and caused by the negligent and careless actions” of the county and 25 unnamed individual respondents.

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Wetzel, 37, was one of 14 people killed when Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, stormed a holiday gathering for county workers at the Inland Regional Center.

Wetzel was a 15-year employee of the county, according to the claims. He worked as a supervising environmental health specialist.

“The county will carefully consider each claim and act in the best interests of everyone involved,” David Wert, a county spokesman, said in a statement.

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Attorneys Stanton T. Matthews and Andrew J. Nissen, representing Renee Wetzel and her children, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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