By: Hannah Dellinger
The family of a Houston mother who was gunned down in front of them at her birthday party is suing to claim the estate of the ex-boyfriend police say killed her.
Carolee Taylor sustained “severe mental anguish and physical pain” in the moments leading to her killing, a wrongful death lawsuit complaint filed Thursday in Harris County Circuit Court claims. Her mother, daughter and other family members also suffered immeasurable mental anguish when Taylor was dragged out of her birthday party, berated and shot multiple times by Albert Simon, the complaint says.
Simon’s “extreme and outrageous” conduct is the cause “severe emotional distress,” the lawsuit says, and Taylor’s family is seeking an undetermined amount for damages from the now-dead murder suspect’s property. They also demand a jury trial.
On Christmas Eve as about 15 people gathered for Taylor’s birthday, the woman’s uncle saw Simon pull up to his home in the Stonegate subdivision and brandish two firearms, Simon’s arrest warrant affidavit for murder says.
Simon forced his way into the home and demanded to talk with Taylor, the warrant says. He made her leave the house by gunpoint and shot her to death on the porch. Her family discovered her body as Simon fled, police say.
He was found on Dec. 28 at Hermann Park and fatally shot by police as he reached for a bag with a semi-automatic firearm.
During the time Simon was on the run from authorities, the civil lawsuit alleges the man was in contact with his attorney and appeared to be preparing for his own death.
“It appears that Albert Simon had instructed his attorneys to attend to his estate in some manner prior to his death and that he was preparing for his death by making funeral arrangements while on the run from authorities,” the lawsuit says.
The civil action includes a request by the plaintiffs — Taylor’s mother and daughter — for a judge to implement a temporary injunction prohibiting Simon’s family from having access to his personal belongings.
The injunction would be in place long enough for the plaintiffs to examine any documents relevant to the case and to assess the value of Simon’s assets.
The lawsuit lists several bank accounts and financial transactions in Simon’s name that were evidence in this 2014 divorce. He received $1.2 million from a party called Pipeline Inspection Company.
Civil court records show Simon’s then-wife filed for a divorce in October 2014. The court filings show that a Harris County judge granted the wife a temporary restraining order in November 2014.
Simon was convicted of stalking a woman in December 1993 in Harris County, court records show.
Taylor’s family and friends said the woman’s bright, bubbly charm will be missed by many. Her death was the 41st domestic violence-related homicide in Harris County in 2019.
Houston has the highest rate of intimate partner femicides in the state, recent analyses by the Texas Center on Family Violence show. Advocates say the region’s increasing need for services for domestic violence survivors is outpacing available resources.
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