Attorneys for the parents of Lita McClinton Sullivan filed a lawsuit Monday against former Palm Beacher James Vincent Sullivan, preserving their rights to a $4 million wrongful death judgment they won against him for ordering their daughters 1987 murder.

The lawsuit was filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court on behalf of Lita Sullivans estate, with her parents, Emory and JoAnn McClinton of Atlanta, as beneficiaries. The McClintons won the civil case against Sullivan in February 1994. With 12 percent interest accruing since then, Sullivan owes $13.5 million as of Monday, the lawsuit says.

A former Landmarks Preservation Chairman, Sullivan, 72, is serving a life sentence in a Georgia state prison for ordering a contract hit on his estranged wife. A gunman posing as a flower deliveryman shot Lita Sullivan at her suburban Atlanta townhouse on Jan. 16, 1987. The murder occurred on the morning of a key hearing in the the couples pending divorce.

The McClintons havent received any money from the judgment. In order to be entitled to any money after 20 years, a new lawsuit has to be filed, said attorney Brad Moores, who won the original judgment and represents the McClintons. Feb. 25 marks the 20th anniversary of the judgment.

Its an independent case, but its based on the original case, Moores said. Its based on the fact that Sullivan has avoided payment. This will give us the legal ability to collect the debt beyond the 20 years.

Moores thinks Sullivan has money stashed in a Swiss bank account and, after he dies, that money will come to his estate in the United States.

We want the ability to impose restrictions and liens on his estate, Moores said. We should have priority.

In the 1980s, James Sullivan hosted dinner parties at his oceanfront mansion, inserted himself into local politics and tried to climb the Palm Beach social ladder. From the beginning, law enforcement believed Sullivan had his wife murdered to avoid losing millions and the mansion in their pending divorce. Authorities also knew Sullivan had moved on long before the murder with a new girlfriend, the exotic Suki Rogers, whom he was eager to wed. But it took authorities 11 years to get a break in the case.

A tip led to the 1998 arrest of the triggerman and a subsequent arrest warrant for Sullivan. By the time the warrant was issued, Sullivan had disappeared. In 2002, he was traced to Thailand and arrested. After spending time in a Thai prison, Sullivan was extradited to the United States. He stood trial in February 2006 for his wifes murder. He was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.

Hes just a worthless human being, Moores said. That money means more to him in the abstract than anything. He would rather go to his grave and not have access to the money as long as the McClintons dont have access to it.

View original post here:

Sullivan sued by victim’s parents