November 17, 2020
Statement from Amjad M. Khan, Partner at Brown, Neri, Smith & Khan LLP,
Counsel for Plaintiffs Josey Hollis Dorsey and the Estate of Naya Rivera
Representatives for the Estate of Naya Rivera and Naya’s then-four-year-old son,
Josey Dorsey, have filed a lawsuit in Ventura County Superior Court against the County of
Ventura, United Water Conservation District, and Parks Management Company, seeking to
hold the defendants responsible for their roles in Naya’s drowning death on July 8, 2020 at
Lake Piru, which the defendants operate and control. The lawsuit’s allegations reveal details
about the events leading to Naya’s death, setting straight a record that has been marred by
misstatements from investigators, media, and others.
On July 8, Naya and Josey rented a pontoon boat from Parks Management Company—
a boat that, it turned out, was not equipped with a safely accessible ladder, adequate rope,
an anchor, a radio, or any security mechanisms to prevent swimmers from being separated
from their boats. Disturbingly, later inspection revealed that the boat was not even equipped
with any flotation or lifesaving devices, in direct violation of California law, which requires
that all pontoons longer than 16 feet be equipped with flotation devices.
Aside from being rented an inadequate boat, Naya, who family described as a cautious
person, received no warnings regarding the dangerous conditions on Lake Piru. In fact, there
is not a single sign anywhere—not at the entrance, at the dock, at the popular swimming area
of Diablo Cove, not anywhere—warning of the lake’s strong currents, low visibility, high
winds, changing water depths, underwater caves, ledges, and drop offs, or the trees, brush,
and other debris that congest its waters due to vastly changing water levels and winds. And
of course, there are no signs warning visitors about the dangers of swimming in the lake, to
wear life vests when swimming or boating, or that dozens of others have drowned in Lake
Piru.
Approximately two hours after Naya and Josey set off on the pontoon boat from the
dock toward the northern part of the lake, Naya and Josey got off the boat and swam in the
water, as was permitted at Lake Piru at the time—though the defendants have since banned
swimming in the lake. While Naya and Josey were swimming, the boat started to be carried
away—likely by the current and wind, which gusted up to 21 miles per hour that afternoon.
Josey, who was closer, managed to get back on the boat on his own volition and braced
himself on the boat, which was rocking back and forth forcefully in the current and wind.
Josey knew Naya was still in the water, and heard her cry, “Help! Help!” in her struggle to
get back to the boat and avoid drowning. Josey searched in vain for rope to help his mother
get back on the boat. Josey then looked back at the water for his mother, and saw that Naya
had disappeared. Josey yelled for help and cried alone in the boat until he was found more
than an hour later by a PMC boat leasing agent.
November 16, 2020
Page 2
Tragically, Naya’s body was found five days later, on July 13, in an area where the
water is 25-30 feet deep with an underwater shelf nearby that was 65-70 feet deep, and is
congested with heavy debris and trees that rise up nearly 20 feet from the lakebed. Ventura
County Sheriff’s search and rescue divers noted that “trees and brush in the lake … could
have snagged and trapped them underwater,” and that “visibility in the lake is so poor, even
during the daytime, that ‘if you have a watch and you hold it in front of your mask, you can’t
even read the numbers.’”
Despite the defendants’ subsequent attempts to discredit Naya in the media and
distract from their own negligence, the autopsy and toxicology reports describing her death
are clear: “Based on the autopsy findings, known circumstances surrounding the death, and
absence of anatomic or toxicological explanation for the death, as currently understood,
the cause of death is drowning, and the manner of death is accident.”
The lawsuit, investigation of which is ongoing, seeks to hold the defendants
accountable for their negligence in causing Naya’s death and in causing Josey, who witnessed
Naya’s drowning, to suffer serious emotional distress. Naya’s family and Josey’s father,
Naya’s ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, have expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support
from Naya’s many fans, and have requested that the public respect their privacy as they
continue to grieve Naya’s loss.
