Conn. chimp attack victim expected to testify before legislative panel, seeking right to sue

HARTFORD, Conn. – The woman mauled by a friend’s chimpanzee in 2009 is expected to make a personal plea to Connecticut legislators, hoping they’ll allow her to sue the state for $150 million in damages.

A spokeswoman said Charla Nash will appear Friday at a public hearing before the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee.

The panel is considering a bill that would override the June decision by the State Claims Commissioner, who dismissed Nash’s initial request for permission to sue. The state generally is immune to lawsuits, unless allowed by the claims commissioner.

Nash was blinded, lost both hands and underwent a face transplant following the attack. Her attorneys contend a state law gave the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection “unequivocal authority” to seize the chimpanzee, “whose existence threatened public health and safety.”