The parents of a seven-year-old girl allegedly killed by a FedEx contractor have filed a lawsuit against the company for negligence in hiring.
Maitlyn Gandy, the mother of Athena Strand, joined an existing wrongful death lawsuit against the American multinational company, the contents of which were published on 17 February by Varghese Summersett, the law firm employed by the family.
The seven-year-old’s body was found near a country road about six miles away from her home, two days after she was reported missing on 30 November 2022.
Police had said delivery driver Tanner Horner confessed to accidentally hitting Athena with his van, leaving her injured and then strangling her after she threatened to tell her father.
The lawsuit has named the driver, his employer Big Topspin, a subcontractor of FedEx, and the courier company as well.
The lawsuit filed in December 2022 accused the companies of negligence in hiring, training and supervising the accused, claiming they recklessly employed him and failed to properly investigate his criminal and employment history.
The driver also faces four charges of sexual assault stemming from alleged incidents from 2013, unrelated to Athena’s case.
Ms Gandy’s attorneys wrote that they sought to effect change at FedEx to prevent such incidents from happening.
“It is about implementing better hiring, training, and supervising practices to prevent vicious killers from arriving at our doorsteps bearing an insignia that has been cultivated to instill trust,” said the lawsuit.
“It is about preventing billion-dollar organisations from insulating themselves from liability by using fly-by-night contractors instead of acknowledging the responsibility they bear when we trust them to come on our property, to our doorsteps, and even inside our homes.”
The emotional appeal said when parents across the US read and heard about Athena’s case, they “wondered how FedEx became the deliverer of death”.
Mr Horner was indicted on murder and kidnapping charges on 16 February and is being held on bonds totalling more than $1,5m, according to booking records. The family is seeking more than $1m in relief.
