Burke Ramsey Sues Pathologist Over Allegations He Killed Sister JonBenet
Burke Ramsey has reportedly filed a $150 million defamation lawsuit against one of the forensic pathologists featured on CBS' two-part docuseries The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey, which aired last month and alleges that Burke accidentally killed his younger sister JonBenet back in 1996.
Ramsey brought the lawsuit against Dr. Werner Spitz on Thursday (October 6), alleging that his claims on the show “attacked and permanently harmed the reputation of [Burke],” according to PEOPLE.
The filing continues, reading, “Defendant Spitz is a publicity seeker with a history of interjecting himself in high profile cases in an effort to make money, exaggerate his resume and claim a level of expertise that he does not possess or deserve.”
The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey featured a team of investigators who sought to provide theories about the 1996 murder of JonBenet Ramsey, a six-year-old child and beauty pageant queen who was found dead in her family’s basement on Christmas night. The case remains unsolved.
The show posited the theory that Burke accidentally murdered his sister, after JonBenet took a piece of pineapple from Burke’s bowl. They allege this upset him enough to hit her over the head with a flashlight, which ultimately killed her. The panel then further claimed parents Patsy and John Ramsey staged the crime scene in an attempt to protect Burke.
While the Ramsey family has long been scrutinized and suspected of foul play by both the media and the general public, they maintained their innocence. District Attorney Mary Lacy issued a formal apology geared toward the Ramseys in 2008, saying new DNA evidence cleared all three family members.
“The accusations by Werner Spitz against this young man are outrageous,” said attorney L. Lin Wood. “Such false accusations for self-promotion and profit have no place in an orderly and just society. This lawsuit is the first step to holding Spitz fully accountable for his heinous wrongdoing.”
Burke’s suit further alleges Spitz’s allegations come from his personal grievances with the Ramsey family "because he believes the Ramsey family shut him out of the investigation — thereby frustrating his pursuit of self-promotion.”
Burke is reportedly seeking compensatory damages “in an amount not less than” $50 million as well as punitive damages of no less than $100 million.
CBS, meanwhile, supports the show's findings, saying, "CBS stands by the broadcast and will do so in court.”
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