Marin County is facing three additional lawsuits in the deaths of four teenagers last April, on top of one already filed, which allege that hazardous road conditions near the site contributed to the crash. And some are still saying a second vehicle may have forced the driver to swerve off the road.
Marin County is facing three new lawsuits tied to the April 2025 crash that killed four San Anselmo teens, as the Marin Independent Journal reports. Families of Olive Koren, Josalynn Osborn, and Sienna Katz allege the county failed to address dangerous conditions along the curve where the Volkswagen Tiguan struck a tree, citing missing guardrails, limited signage, and overgrown vegetation that obscured visibility.
The cases, filed in Marin County Superior Court, seek unspecified damages, with an initial hearing set for August 27. County officials say they have not yet been served.
SFist reported in October that the Marin County District Attorney’s Office charged the 17-year-old driver, a teen from Fairfax, with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, along with infractions for unsafe speed and violating the terms of her provisional license.
An investigation by the California Highway Patrol found she was at fault, determining she entered a curve at an estimated 60 to 65 mph based on a frozen odometer. Officials said they didn't find evidence supporting surviving passenger Marley Barclay’s claims about an oncoming vehicle forcing the driver to swerve off the road.
According to the Chronicle, relatives of the victims, including the Barclay family, questioned the CHP’s investigation, disputing its conclusion. Prior to the recent lawsuits, Marin County had received 15 legal claims tied to the crash and denied each one, per the Independent Journal.
In February, prosecutors reportedly sought additional records related to the CHP officers who investigated the crash, filing a Pitchess motion to obtain personnel files.
Some of the families questioned whether investigators overlooked reports of pickup trucks seen on the road around the time of the crash, as the Chronicle reported Friday, including one allegedly driving recklessly earlier in the day, and another stopped in the roadway afterward — appearing to call 911. Authorities said the descriptions did not match and found no evidence linking the vehicles.
A similar crash occurred about 500 feet away about a year earlier, when a speeding 17-year-old crossed into oncoming traffic before crashing into a tree, causing the car to flip and catch fire, leaving a passenger seriously injured.
In December, following a petition calling for major restrictions on the entire road, county supervisors reduced the speed limit from 40 mph to 30 mph along the stretch of San Geronimo Valley Drive where the crash occurred, per the Chronicle.
Prior to the recent lawsuits, Sienna Katz’s father Robert Katz previously sued both the county and the driver, pointing to missing guardrails, limited warning signage, and roadside conditions he says made the curve hazardous, as previously reported. His complaint also alleges the driver was speeding, failed to maintain control, and did not take steps to avoid leaving the roadway. Attorneys for both the county and the driver have denied the claims.
Tensions have reportedly deepened in the community over the past year. A petition at one point sought to bar the driver and her mother, a teacher at the high school, from campus, while the mother later filed — and did not win — a restraining order against a friend of Josy, alleging harassment.
In a message to the Chronicle, the driver’s mother said the family “think[s] constantly about the lives lost” while also describing ongoing harassment directed at them. A recent encounter near their home escalated into a brief but heated roadside exchange involving the teen driver, her mother, and relatives of one of the victims. A classmate is also accused of directing a racial slur at the driver’s father, who is Black.
Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli said the case has exposed deep divisions, calling it an “incredibly painful and emotional situation,” and emphasized that prosecutors are focused on a fair, evidence-based legal process rather than public debate, per the Chronicle.
“We understand that people may see this case differently, especially given the tragic circumstances,” Frugoli said in a statement. “Our responsibility, however, is not to resolve public debate — it is to ensure that the legal process is fair, thorough and based on evidence.”
Some families, including Josalynn Osborn’s mother, said the severity of the crash pointed to excessive speed, noting the lack of skid marks and the extent of the damage.
“I feel like someone is responsible for killing the girls, and it’s not [the driver],” Olive’s mother, Gail Koren said.
Sienna Katz’s mother, Margaret Minicozzi, said she has not attended court hearings and is seeking accountability, though not necessarily through detention.
Linda Kepley, the mother of Ada Kepley, the fourth victim who died in the crash, told the Chronicle the case has strained relationships among families who were once close, and expressed concern that the driver is carrying more blame than she should. She said choosing to forgive, in spite of lingering uncertainty, has brought her some peace.
“If she was speeding, she’s a teenage girl, and kids speed,” she said. “I’ve already made my peace with this. I think what people really need to do is to ask themselves, ‘Did I do that at that age?’ We’re all human beings. We’re all flawed.”
Previously: In Marin Crash That Killed Four Teens, Parents Point Fingers at CHP, County Road Maintenance
