Robert Pooley, 49, of Acampo, was sentenced on Monday after being found guilty in May of running unauthorized tandem skydiving courses at the beleaguered site in San Joaquin County that has seen 28 deaths since 1985. 

After Pooley’s certification as an instructor was suspended in 2015, he continued to train more than 100 new instructors using the digital image of the signature of another certified instructor to sign off on training courses. Pooley charged around $1,100 for each training course.

“Pooley falsely told students that he was a tandem examiner,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement Monday. “After those deaths, numerous victims of Pooley’s scheme asked for their money back, but he did not repay them.”

###

One of Pooley’s trainees was Yong Kwon, a 25-year-old who had recently moved to California from South Korea. On Aug. 16, 2016, Kwon was paired with first-time skydiver Tyler Turner for a tandem jump. Both men died on impact in a nearby vineyard after Kwon was unable to successfully open either the main or reserve chutes. 

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-skydiving-instructor-lodi-imprisoned-19807333.php

The Lodi - Acampo, CA Dropzone Owner Bill Dause was found responsible for the 40 Million dollar Judgement in a California Courtroom Lawsuit regarding the Tyler Turner death.

From what I've read and researched about accidental deaths, a human life killed by an accident is worth about 5-10 Million Dollars. To raise that to 40 Million Dollars must have been a lot of Punitive Damages. Are there any Insurance Lawyers or experienced people here that can confirm this?

Lodi Tandems to 13,000 are $150. Experienced Jumpers to 13,000 are $25. 

https://skydivelodiparachutecenter.com/

"Dause told reporters Pooley is not an employee but an independent contractor who uses the facility to teach tandem jumping courses. 

Dause has allowed Pooley to teach at the facility for the past 10 years. 

“He doesn’t work for me,” Dause said. “He is an independent individual that operates on the Lodi Airport. He doesn’t work here; he jumps here.” 

He claimed the two are friends and their business relationship involves Dause selling Pooley tickets to fly in a plane in order to go skydiving. "

https://fox40.com/news/local-news/skydive-lodi-owner-says-instructor-facing-federal-charges-will-still-be-allowed-to-jump-at-his-facility/

"The owner of the troubled skydiving center in Lodi has been ordered to pay more than $40 million to the family of a first-time jumper who died in a tandem jump along with his uncertified instructor in 2016.

Skydive Lodi Parachute Center owner Bill Dause will be held responsible for the entire judgment, San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Barbara Kronlund indicated in a court order issued Monday, bringing a five-year wrongful death court battle to an end.

Dause was known for creating new operating companies in an effort to shield himself from tax liabilities and penalties, Van Der Walde told the Merced Sun-Star. Kronlund’s proposed order found that Dause was the alter ego of the skydiving school Skydivers Guild Inc. “and is responsible for their entire judgment of $40,030,000.”

Attorney Paul Van Der Walde represented Turner’s family.

https://www.recordnet.com/story/news/courts/2021/03/17/family-wins-40-m-lodi-skydiving-center-owner-teens-2016-death/4740945001/

Does anyone know how to access the Court Documents on this Lawsuit for free? If yes, please post the link to them.

" Attorney Paul Van Der Walde recovered a total of $40,030,000 in compensation for a couple bereft of their 18-year-old son in a tandem skydiving accident. Sadly, their son was the 20th person to suffer a wrongful death at a skydiving company owned by Bill Dause, who has reopened his company under various names to avoid legal trouble. This time, Mr. Dause was unable to evade accountability—Attorney Van Der Walde made it a point to have Mr. Dause personally responsible for paying the full $40 million by piercing the corporate veil. "

Attorney Paul Van Der Walde website. https://www.vanderwalde.com/results/

47 minutes ago, F104 Starfighter said:

Sadly, their son was the 20th person to suffer a wrongful death at a skydiving company owned by Bill Dause,

And as a skydiver you would repeat the lie that all 20 were "wrongful"?

If you go to The Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin and do a search, you can find the Court Documents. https://www.sjcourts.org/

San Joaquin County Superior Court Case Number: STK-CV-UPI-2018-0002192

I'm having a difficult time finding the Case. Can anyone help locate it and post the link?

To find the Court Documents.

Go here: https://www.sjcourts.org/case-management-search/

Click on: Case Search by Case Number

Click: Log In

Click on: Cases

Click on: Civil Cases

Enter: CV

Enter: 2018 

Enter: 0002192

Click: Retrieve

Should take you to this: 

STK-CV-UPI-2018-0002192

Chenny Francine Turner et al. vs Parachute Center, Inc. et al.

Click on Document Mgmt on left menu and then click VIEW next to each document you want to see.