Gerald Fox III, a Stamford Democrat who’s co-chairman of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee. Lawmakers review many appeals of claims commissioner decisions each year and uphold most of the commissioner’s rulings, said state Rep. But he said state law on the issue was ambiguous and difficult to enforce, and there was no guarantee a court hearing would have led to a seizure order. Jepsen has acknowledged that the biologist had warned that the chimp was dangerous. “And I also pray that I hope this never happens to anyone else again. “I hope and pray that the commissioner will give me my day in court,” Nash had told reporters following a hearing last year before Vance. The $4 million settlement with Herold’s estate covers a small fraction of Nash’s medical costs, according to Nash’s lawyers, who have said she requires care and supervision around the clock. In October 2008, the biologist warned that the chimpanzee had reached maturity and “is very large and tremendously strong.” The biologist said, “I am concerned that if he feels threatened or if someone enters his territory, he could seriously hurt someone.” Several months before the attack, a state biologist warned state officials in a memo that the chimpanzee could seriously hurt someone if it felt threatened, saying “it is an accident waiting to happen.” Travis had previously bitten another woman’s hand and tried to drag her into a car in 1996, bit a man’s thumb two years later, and escaped from Herold’s home and roamed downtown Stamford for hours in 2003 before being captured, according to Nash’s lawsuit against Herold. The chimp could eat at the table, drink wine from a stemmed glass, use the toilet, and bathe and dress itself. Travis had starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola when he was younger and made an appearance on “The Maury Povich Show.” The chimpanzee was the constant companion of the widowed Herold and was fed steak, lobster and ice cream. Nash now lives in a nursing home outside Boston. But the chimp went berserk and ripped off Nash’s nose, lips, eyelids and hands before being shot to death by a police officer. 16, 2009, to help lure her friend’s 200-pound chimpanzee, Travis, back inside. Nash, now 59, had gone to Herold’s home on Feb. State lawmakers did approve a ban on chimpanzees and other animals deemed dangerous a few months after Nash was mauled. He added, “If there was a failure by the DEP to seize the animal … the duty owed was to the general public and does not create a statutory obligation to ensure the safety of a private individual such as (Nash).” Nash was attacked, there was no statute that prohibited the private ownership of the chimpanzee nor was there any statutory language that would have created a duty to Ms. Vance said in his decision: “At the time Ms. “To decide otherwise would mean that the state simply could not afford to pass regulations intended to promote order and safety.” If they receive permission, they plan to seek $150 million in damages.“While we have the utmost sympathy for Charla Nash, we agree with the claims commission that a regulatory statute does not provide a basis to sue the state,” Jepsen spokeswoman Jaclyn Falkowski said. In order to sue the state, the Nash family will need permission from the state claims commissioner, the AP reported. That is why we will pursue the entity we think is most culpable, the Energy and Environmental Protection Department of Connecticut, for allowing Sandra Herold to possess the chimp in the first place." "It won't nearly address her medical needs and her other lifestyle needs, not to mention pain and suffering. "The money that we have obtained for Charla is an insignificant amount in the scheme of things," the Nashes' lawyer Charles Willinger said Thursday, according to the AP. She requires constant care and is awaiting hand transplant surgery, they said. The Nashes’ lawyers said Charla Nash, now 57, blind and living in a nursing home, needs more than $4 million to cover her medical costs, the AP reported. Charla Nash will receive $4 million as part of a settlement agreement. In 2009, Nash’s twin brother sued Herold on his sister’s behalf for $50 million, Reuters reported. Sandra Herold’s 200-pound chimp ripped off Nash’s nose, lips, eyes and hands in a sudden attack outside Herold’s home in Stamford, Conn., Reuters reported. More from GlobalPost: Chimp attack woman gets new face, spikes interest in facial transplants Face transplant recipient Charla Nash will receive about $4 million from the estate of the owner of the chimpanzee who attacked her in February 2009, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press.
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