CHATSWORTH, Calif.—A judge is being asked to approve settlements of nearly $1 million each on behalf of the two minor daughters of a Los Angeles County Fire Department engineer shot to death by a colleague at the Agua Dulce station in 2021.
The Chatsworth Superior Court lawsuit was brought in January 2022 by Heidi Carlon, who was married to the late 44-year-old Tory Carlon; her adult daughter, Joslyn Carlon; and Heidi Carlon’s two other daughters, who are currently ages 9 and 17.
On Friday, the plaintiff’s lawyers attorneys filed court papers with Judge Gary I. Micon asking to give his nod to payments of $970,000 each to the two underage daughters. A judge’s review of the proposed settlement is needed because the girls are minors. A hearing is scheduled on Oct. 14 for both.
After attorneys’ fees and other expenses are deducted, the girls will receive about $660,835. The estate of the man who shot Carlon, Jonathan Patrick Tatone, will contribute $31,000 to both settlements.
Of the two adult claimants, Heidi Carlon settled previously for $4.4 million and Joslyn Carlon for $991,500.
Carlon was working at Station No. 81 on Sierra Highway on June 1, 2021, when the 45-year-old Tatone, who also was an engineer but was off duty, arrived and an argument ensued, authorities said. Tatone subsequently shot Carlon, who later died, and Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Arnie Sandoval, who survived.
Tatone left for his Acton residence, which he set afire before shooting himself to death.
A Carlon family spokesman previously issued a statement regarding the case.
“The failure of the Los Angeles County Fire Department to take action against Tatone, thus ratifying his behavior and leaving Tory Carlon as an easy and vulnerable victim, resulted in a lawsuit by Mr. Carlon’s family against the County of Los Angeles and the estate of Tatone,” the statement read.
In their previous court papers, county attorneys argued that the county was not liable due to governmental immunity and workers’ compensation rules.
But the Carlon family lawyers maintained that Los Angeles County Fire Department leadership “chose to ignore, normalize and ratify Tatone’s dangerous conduct.”
Tory Carlon and others consistently warned that Tatone was “unhinged and dangerous,” the Carlon family attorneys further stated in their court papers, adding that supervisors of Tatone and Carlon nonetheless assigned the pair to work together regardless of Tatone’s threatening behavior.
