Lawsuit Planned by Mom of 13-Year-Old Boy Who Drowned in East River against NYC

Laquana Badger Godfrey, the mother of a 13-year-old boy who drowned in the East River on Oct. 20, is planning to sue the city, claiming that her son’s coach, who was a school employee, broke a promise to keep an eye on him. She has filed a $40 million notice of claim over her son Kavion Brown Godfrey’s death with the city Comptroller’s office, naming the city Department of Education and the Parks Department. Kavion and some friends were at a high school soccer game when he entered the river and drowned. Godfrey hopes her lawsuit will lead to better supervision of students on field trips and the installation of signs warning of the dangers of the East River. The city Law Department and the Department of Education declined to comment. The grieving parents still do not have a written report from either the Education Department or the NYPD on their review of what happened.