Pebb Enterprises plane crash widow sues pilots

The widow of one of the seven Pebb Enterprises employees killed in a plane crash last year has filed suit against the estates of the pilots also killed in the crash and the aircraft owner.

Two Pebb principals, Jared Weiner and Ori Rom, along with employees Gary Shapiro, Diana Suriel, Thomas Virgin, Nick Weaver and Diane Smoot were killed in November while on a trip scouting properties in Akron, Ohio. The plane crashed into an apartment building.

Now, Shapiro’s widow, Corey Shapiro of Boca Raton, filed a lawsuit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against the estates of the dead pilots and the companies that owned, leased or chartered the plane, according to the Palm Beach Post.

Shapiro, who is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for herself and her children, is claiming negligence caused the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash, but a cockpit recording showed pilot Oscar Chavez was helped by flight officer Renato Marchese. Marchese had been fired in the past “because he wasn’t learning fast enough and didn’t pay attention to details” the Palm Beach Post reported.

Boca Raton-based Pebb, a commercial property management firm active in Palm Beach County, is now led by principal Bruce Weiner, president Ian Weiner, director of investments Robert Truett, director of leasing Aaron Zucker and director of development Eric Hochman. Hochman and Zucker came on after the crash, according to their LinkedIn profiles.

And since November, the company has made a handful of significant deals. In February, it sold Buckingham Plaza, a new shopping center in Royal Palm Beach, for $29 million. [Palm Beach Post] – Katherine Kallergis