MMA Academy Sued When Student Allegedly Commits Murder
An 18-year old was murdered in Hawaii in August 2009, and new developments in the case have some interesting legal implications. Corbit Ahn was taken into custody about a week after the murder of Iris Rodrigues-Kaikana and was held at the Oahu Community Correctional Center.
The father of the victim has sued Ahn, which is not unusual as civil suits for wrongful death often follow murders. What is unusual is that the mixed martial arts academy where Ahn trained has also been sued. I suspect that the plaintiff's attorney assumed that Ahn (who has an 0-1 MMA record and an extensive criminal record) would be "judgment proof," meaning that even if the lawsuit was successful, there could be no recovery of assets since Ahn would have no money and no way to get any in prison.
I have not yet seen a copy of the lawsuit, but the most likely legal theory is that the academy gave Ahn the skills he used to kill Rodrigues-Kaikana. As other commenters have noted, this theory has huge holes. (Can you successfully sue a driviing school if your loved one is the victim of a hit and run?) Even so, the case highlights the need for MMA schools and instructors to have insurance that not only covers damages awards, but also the cost of defending against a lawsuit.
In yet another odd twist to the case, Ahn could actully end up with some of his own assets. He was recently assaulted at the OCCC and his attorney says the guards were in on it. If there is any evidence to support that allegation, you can bet that Ahn will be involved in another lawsuit--this time as the plaintiff.
