Justice unfolded as a jury awarded $20 million to the family of Jessica Ordaz, a 29-year-old Lancaster woman tragically killed in a DUI crash by Mary Noel Kruppe, the former principal at Enterprise Elementary School.
In November of 2018, Kruppe, undoubtedly aware of the dangers posed by her intoxicated state, chose to drive her vehicle on 50th Street East near Avenue P in the Palmdale area. Veering into oncoming traffic, Kruppe collided head-on with Ordaz's vehicle, causing her untimely death, reported KTLA.
Following the accident, Kruppe was transported to the hospital, where tests revealed a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit. On February 4, 2020, she was found guilty of second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, subsequently receiving a prison sentence of 15 years to life.
Beyond the devastating effects of the crash itself, the Ordaz family, represented by attorneys R. Rex Parris and Alexander R. Wheeler, had to grapple with the legal maneuvers of Geico, Kruppe's insurance company. As KFIAM640 reported, the Los Angeles Superior Court panel found that Geico had refused to settle the case for the policy limits before trial.
In a statement released by the victim's attorneys, R. Rex Parris highlighted the frustration of dealing with insurance companies in such high-stakes cases: “It’s frustrating that insurance companies, like Geico, drag these clear liability cases out for years to avoid paying what’s rightfully owed to our clients. These aggressive tactics by insurance companies do nothing more than prolong the suffering of a grieving family.”
Attorney Wheeler reflected on Jessica's stolen future: “Our client’s daughter had such a bright future ahead of her, but it was shattered because of Ms. Kruppe’s reckless behavior.”
Expressing her remorse in a letter to the plaintiffs, Kruppe acknowledged the unbearable pain her actions had caused: "Words cannot begin to express the depth of my sorrow for the fact that I killed your daughter. I am so sorry that I have created this pain for you." With this acknowledgement, Kruppe admitted to being drunk at the time of the collision and at fault; however, she maintained that her insurance company had settled the issues with the plaintiffs before they sued her, according to KFIAM640.
