Sides to try to settle fatal boat crash suits

PORTLAND – Now that Robert LaPointe’s criminal trial is over, civil lawsuits against the Massachusetts man arising from a fatal boat crash in Maine are set to take center stage.

LaPointe’s attorney, Seth Holbrook, said sides plan to meet soon and he’s hoping for a quick settlement of wrongful-death claims against his client.

The families of the two victims, Suzanne Groetzinger of Berwick and Terry Raye Trott of Harrison, are each seeking $475,000 in damages.

The two were killed in August 2007 when LaPointe’s high-performance boat ran over their smaller craft after dark on Long Lake in Harrison. LaPointe was acquitted of manslaughter but was found guilty of aggravated operating under the influence and was sentenced to 31/2 years in prison.