Victim's lawsuit on hold

MINDEN - Lorelle Chorkey's lawsuit against the man who killed her husband is on hold, while he appeals his conviction to the Nevada Supreme Court.

The recovering Johnson Lane woman must await a resolution for compensation for her charges of pain and suffering against Fiegehen until his appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court is resolved.

Fiegehen, a Carson City resident, was sentenced Aug. 22, 2003, to two life sentences without parole for the murder in the first degree of Chorkey's husband, Al, on Feb. 10, 2002, at their Becky Lane home.

In addition, Fiegehen received two consecutive sentences of eight to 20 years for the attempted murder with a deadly weapon of Lorelle, and two consecutive sentences of six to 15 years in prison for home invasion.

In a lawsuit, filed in February, Chorkey seeks amounts in excess of $10,000 for each of three charges: a wrongful death claim for the pain, suffering and disfigurement of Al, who bled to death; a negligence claim for the mental, physical and nervous pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, and physical injury to Chorkey; and a battery claim for willful and unlawful use of force of violence with use of a deadly weapon on Lorelle, who was shot in the head and in the chest.

Ten thousand dollars is the minimum compensation claim that can be filed in district court. Chorkey's attorney, Kenneth Lyon of Reno, has said previously that he would expect damages paid to be "well above" $10,000 in resolution to his client's claims.

That amount will not be declared until the Nevada Supreme Court reviews Fiegehen's appeal, which was filed in January.

A reply from Fiegehen's attorney is expected this month.

The Nevada Supreme Court will ultimately decide if Fiegehen's case was handled appropriately and, if so, uphold the trial verdict. If the upper court concludes the case was legally questionable, Fiegehen could have a re-trial.