Ms. Arancha Gutiérrez, a 31-year-old tourist from Spain, tragically lost her life in an attack in Tortuguero, Costa Rica. This murder occurred on August 4, 2018.
The family claims ¢694 million from the hotel where she stayed and from the travel agency that transferred her, broken down into ¢214.8 million for physical damage, ¢230.9 million for economic damage, and ¢250 million for moral damage. None of this will bring their loved one back.
In a first trial, both companies were acquitted of paying a civil action but the resolution was appealed by the family’s lawyer. The new trial started on February 27th and should conclude soon. The attacker is already serving 25 years in prison. The ongoing court case is only about the economic claims.
The family claims that the travel agency provided a tour guide who was not certified, there was no guard at the hotel, and neither company provided security advice or warnings about the area.
The hotel’s defense is that nothing of this magnitude happened before so there was no reason for a security warning and also the terrible event happened off the premises. The woman went out for a run on her own off the hotel grounds. The hotel regrets what happened but is not responsible.
