The family of 37-year-old Angelo Schettino has escalated its legal fight, filing an amended lawsuit that names both the Massachusetts State Police and the homicide detective involved in the December 2023 crash that claimed his life.
The new complaint in Essex Superior Court seeks $25 million in damages. The filing is the latest development in a case that has raised questions about the Massachusetts State Police’s (MSP) handling of an alleged crime involving one of their own.
Angelo Schettino was a passenger in a wheelchair van traveling on Lexington Street in Woburn. According to the complaint and a police report, MSP Sergeant Scott Quigley was operating an unmarked cruiser when he crossed the centerline and struck the van head-on.
Michael Mahoney, attorney for the Schettino family, alleges that Quigley was speeding and intoxicated at the time of the collision. He states that Quigley’s actions constituted “gross negligence” and fell outside the scope of his police duties. Schettino died from his injuries one month after the crash
The amended complaint also targets the MSP and alleges the agency knew or should have known that Quigley was “unsafe” to operate a motor vehicle.
The filing comes as the family has long maintained suspicions of a cover-up. Lynn Schettino, Angelo’s mom, raised those concerns during a February interview with investigative reporter Ted Daniel
The lawsuit states the $25 million demand is for wrongful death and pain and suffering
While the civil legal battle moves forward, the criminal side of the case continues to unfold, with Trooper Quigley having pleaded not guilty to a charge of felony motor vehicle homicide in April.
At the time, Quigley’s defense attorney, Christina Pujals Ronan from the Yannetti Law Firm, vehemently denied any conspiracy to hide the facts. She argued that the toxicology results were based on a “single rapid blood test” and questioned its accuracy.
Pujals Ronan and an MSP spokesperson declined to comment on the pending litigation.
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