A jury date has been set in October for the lawsuit that has been filed against the Seward Chamber of Commerce by the family of Michael LeMaitre.
65 year-old LeMaitre was participating in the 85th Mt. Marathon Race in Seward when he disappeared and was never found despite numerous searches of the race path and surrounding areas.
The July 26, 2013 civil complaint was administered by Michael’s widow, Peggy LeMaitre, against the Seward Chamber of Commerce citing liability of wrongful death in the amount of $5 million in damages.
Although Erin Lemas of the Seward Chamber of Commerce referred us to the attorney for comments on the case, she did comment on changes to the race since LeMaitre’s disappearance.
Lemas: “After 2012 we did revamp our waiver and it’s actually one we took from white water rafting. So it’s like, this is dangerous, you know that you’re doing this, this is dangerous. Yes we did change the waiver but it basically says the same thing. And then it was always mandatory but you have to sign a form saying that you have gone up the mountain before the race.”
When we tried to contact the Walker and Eakes legal firm, no one was available to comment on the case.
Another thing the Seward Chamber of Commerce implemented last year is having avid mountain runners guide people up Mt. Marathon the two weekends before the race.
Although broken bones and other injuries are common, LeMaitre’s disappearance is the first in Mt. Marathon’s 87 year history.