Family of dead crew member sue California dive boat operator

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The family of the lone crew member who died with 33 passengers in a fire aboard a scuba diving boat off the coast of Southern California has sued the owners of the vessel.

The family of 26-year-old Allie Kurtz filed suit against the owner of the Conception on Monday in Los Angeles federal court.

The cause of the fire that broke out in the middle of the night last September remains under investigation by federal authorities. The owners of Truth Aquatics Inc. have tried to shield themselves from damages by suing under a pre-Civil War maritime law that limits liability of boat owners