By BEN HARTMANyaakov teitel v sign 248.88 ap(photo credit: AP)
An attorney representing the families of victims allegedly harmed by Ya'acov "Jake" Teitel announced Wednesday he will file a civil suit against him, demanding NIS 4 million in damages for his clients.
Attorney Yossi Graiver said he intends to file the lawsuit in a Jerusalem court on Thursday, at the same time an indictment against Teitel is served in Petah Tikva. Teitel's indictment is expected to include charges of first-degree murder as well as weapons and explosives offenses.
In a statement, Graiver said that "since Teitel has admitted to the murder of Samir Balbisi and has also admitted to and reenacted the attempted murder of Amiel Ortiz with a booby-trapped Purim basket, he will have to bear the economic implications of his actions toward the victims whose lives have been paralyzed and destroyed."
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post , Graiver said the families decided to file the suit "in order to do some sort of justice to the pain that they have suffered due to these attacks."
Graiver said that Ortiz, who was 15 at the time of the attack and has already undergone 12 surgeries to treat his injuries, is still suffering from emotional trauma and will need further surgery and medical treatment for years to come.
"It's not certain if he will ever be entirely the same as he was before the attack," Graiver added.
Graiver said the families want Teitel to also face a civil trial because in such a trial the victims and their families will be able to face the defendant, who will be required to take the stand.
Graiver said that the Balbisi family, whose son Samir was murdered in a 1997 shooting attack that Teitel is expected to be charged with, has suffered a loss that can never be replaced.
Teitel has confessed to shooting Samir, who was the family's eldest son and would have been expected to help support his parents for years to come.
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