Melissa E. Holsman, melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com
WEST PALM BEACH — Nearly two years after Perry Cohen and his friend Austin Stephanos were lost at sea, Cohen's mother filed a lawsuit that accuses Stephanos family members of negligent supervision prior to the boys' disappearance.
Cohen and Austin Stephanos, both 14, were last seen leaving the Jupiter Inlet before vanishing at sea July 24, 2015.
In a wrongful death lawsuit filed Friday in West Palm Beach, Cohen's mother, Pamela Cohen, sued Stephanos' mother, Carlson "Carly" Black and his father, William "Blu" Stephanos, and accused the pair of negligent supervision and a breach of "parental trust" related to the boys' disappearance.
Stuart attorney Guy Rubin, who represents Pamela Cohen, filed the suit Friday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, said the legal action was about pursuing the truth.
"This lawsuit is about truth, accountability and justice," Rubin said in a prepared statement. "Because the state attorney declined to pursue a criminal case, a civil action is now Pamela Cohen's only course."
Also named as defendants were Richard Brian "Bubba" Black Jr. and William Kuntz.
Any money damages awarded to the Cohen family, Rubin stated, will be donated to charity.