Today, attorney David Di Pietro filed a “Verified Petition to Perpetuate Testimony by Deposition Before Action” to preserve the testimony of Ralph Woltering, age 90, the husband of Olga Woltering who was murdered at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on January 6, 2017. Broward County Circuit Court Case No. CACE-17-014169.
According to court documents filed in a criminal case, Esteban Santiago-Ruiz boarded his one-way flight via Delta Air Lines from Anchorage, Alaska, after checking in a single piece of luggage: a handgun case which held his Walther PPS 9mm semiautomatic pistol and two magazines of ammunition. By Santiago’s admission, he retrieved his firearm and ammunition from Delta’s baggage office in Fort Lauderdale, loaded his firearm in the adjacent restroom, and then fired shots at innocent travelers in the baggage claim area.
The Verified Petition to Perpetuate Testimony by Deposition Before Action states that Olga Woltering and her husband, Ralph, arrived in Fort Lauderdale for a family cruise and were present in the baggage claim area when Santiago began firing. After she was struck and killed by Santiago’s gunfire, her husband remained with her lifeless body for hours while authorities secured and investigated the scene. The Petition further states that the Wolterings’ son, Timothy, in his capacity as the Personal Representative of his mother’s estate, has retained the law firm of Di Pietro Partners to investigate claims against Delta related to its liability in this tragedy.
Attorney David Di Pietro filed a petition in the Circuit Court in and for Broward County, Florida, seeking to take the deposition of Ralph Woltering before filing a lawsuit to adequately preserve valuable evidence. A hearing on the petition is expected to occur within the next several weeks. The filed Verified Petition lists several expected causes of action against Delta, including tort claims for negligence, negligence per se, and breach of contract.
About Di Pietro Partners, PA: David Di Pietro is a trial attorney and former prosecutor. Mr. Di Pietro’s partners, Jay Spechler and Gary Cowart are retired Broward County judges, and his associates Nicole Martell and Maria Schiuma are also former prosecutors. Di Pietro Partners handles complex litigation matters throughout the State of Florida.
Please do not direct any inquiries or comments to the Woltering family. For more information, please contact David Di Pietro of Di Pietro Partners at 954-712-3070.