New target in suit
Billionaire said to be at least “partial financier” of Prestige Limousine
Lawsuit filed by family of one of the Schoharie limo crash victims seeks damages from a wealthy Pakistani businessman./
A new lawsuit filed by the family of one of the Schoharie limo crash victims is seeking damages not only from the Wilton company that owned the stretch Ford Excursion involved in the disaster, but also from a wealthy Pakistani businessman.
The suit was filed last Friday in state Supreme Court in Johnstown by attorneys for Jill Perez, the mother of Matthew Coons, one of 20 people who died on Oct. 6, 2018, when the 31-foot-long limo crashed into the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store in Schoharie.
Like previous civil suits filed in the case seeking compensation for the victims’ estates, Perez’s suit — first reported by WTEN — names Prestige Limousine of Wilton and its owner Shahed Hussain as defendants, along with Hussain’s son, Nauman, who was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for his role as manager of the business. Mavis Discount Tire, which did work on the Excursion before the crash was also named as a defendant.
But the suit also names Pakistani billionaire Malik Riaz Hussain as a defendant. Although the tie has never been proven, Shahed Hussain has been known to describe Malik Riaz as his brother, and the motel that Shahed Hussain and his two sons operate in Wilton is deeded under the name of Malik Riaz Hussain.
Perez’s suit, authored by Gloversville attorney Michael Smrtic, alleges that Malik Riaz Hussain also was involved in funding Prestige Limousine, which Shahed Hussain formed in 2012 and initially operated out of his motel.
Malik Riaz Hussain “was at least a partia l f inancier ” of Prestige Limousine, the suit states, although no direct evidence was g iven. Smrtic did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Shahed Hussain suffered a heart attack and under went triple-by pass surger y in Albany, according to court records filed in a separate lega l action f iled against his oldest son, Haris. The next month, Shahed Hussain left the countr y for Pakistan.
A Times Union investigation found that he has been liv ing in the city of Lahore in the Punjab reg ion, where he has family connections. He has not returned to the U. S. despite the limo crash and his son’s subsequent arrest, or even commented on the catastrophe.