Michael Kocis filed suit in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas for wrongful death and destruction of property.
“It was not something the family just wanted to give up on,” Kocis family attorney Conrad Falvello said. “We’re going after them.”
The lawsuit is asking for an unspecified amount of damages.
In the suit, Cuadra and Kerekes are accused of willfully entering Brian Kocis’ home and having “caused” the death of Kocis, as well as destruction of property when the house was set ablaze, allegedly to cover up the crime.
The house, which also was the location from which Brian Kocis ran his adult production company, had a fair market value of at least $170,000, with personal property and other contents valued at least $150,000, the suit said.
According to the suit, the family has also incurred expenses due to mental and physical pain, suffering and anguish caused by the death of Brian Kocis.
The suit also said that the death was caused by the “carelessness, recklessness, negligence, and/or wanton disregard for” Brian Kocis, and that “[Kocis] was caused to die from the fatal injuries sustained at the hands of the defendants,”
Cuadra and Kerekes are awaiting trial and being held in separate facilities. Both defendants are indigent and will be represented in court by public defenders. Prosecutors in the case are seeking the death penalty.
Cuadra and Kerekes, who co-owned a gay adult production company and website, are accused of murdering Brian Kocis, the owner of Cobra Video and who employed performer Brent Corrigan as an exclusive model. The crime allegedly is the result of an elaborate scheme by the defendants to free Corrigan from his contract with Kocis in order for the model to work for them.