Children of cop accused of killing ex-wife plan wrongful death suit

The notice of intention to sue warns of an impending lawsuits that seeks $10 million for the children of Tamara Seidle, who was gunned down June 16 on an Asbury Park street as she was being chased by her former husband, Phillip Seidle, who was then a Neptune police sergeant.

NEPTUNE -- The nine children of a Neptune woman who police say was shot to death by her cop ex-husband plans to sue several law enforcement agencies over what they contend was poor training and a lack of disciplinary action after the couple's repeated domestic complaints.

The notice of intention to sue warns of an impending lawsuit that seeks $10 million for the children of Tamara Seidle, who was gunned down June 16 on an Asbury Park street as she was being chased by her former husband, Phillip Seidle, who was then a Neptune police sergeant.

Expected to be named in the suit are Neptune Township and Asbury Park, their respective police departments, their top police officials as well as the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and Phillip Seidle.

Shelley Stangler, a Springfield attorney representing the estate of Tamara Seidle, filed the notice, which says the upcoming lawsuit will charge wrongful death, emotional distress, violation of civil rights, pain and suffering, lost wages and loss of companionship, guidance and support for the children.

It also seeks damages for the Seidles'  7-year-old daughter - their youngest child -- who was in the front seat of her father's car when police say he chased Tamara Seidle to Sewall Avenue in Asbury Park and shot her to death as she sat trapped in her car.

Tamara Seidle 

In her divorce filings, Tamara Seidle claimed her husband physically and emotionally abused her almost from the beginning of their 23-year marriage.

Neptune police were summoned to disputes between the Seidles 18 times during their marriage, according to limited information provided by Neptune police through an Open Public Records Act request. Their divorce was finalized May 27, just shy of three weeks before the shooting.

Specifically, Stangler alleged the Neptune Police Department, where Seidle was employed for 22  years, failed to properly discipline him "for known domestic violence and other acts of the excessive use of force."

The notice said the department "failed to properly report domestic violence and the use of excessive force" and failed to take away Seidle's service weapon or restrict his use of it.

The notice said the department also failed to follow the state Attorney General's guidelines on handling domestic violence complaints and didn't properly train and supervise its employees.

All those failures prevented the police department from protecting Tamara Seidle, the tort claim notice said.

The suit will also allege the county and municipal 911 call systems mishandled distress calls, leading to Tamara Seidle's death, according to the notice.

 A source close to the investigation has told NJ Advance Media that on the morning of the shooting, Phillip Seidle told at least one of his children he intended to harm his ex-wife. The source said Tamara Seidle was warned about the threat which was also reported through a 911 call, but it was unclear whether the 911 information was ever relayed to police.

The notice, which was filed on Friday, also claims the prosecutor's office did not follow proper protocol in evaluating whether Seidle was fit to carry or use his service weapon because of domestic incidents between the Seidles. His service weapon had been taken away at least once, in 2012, when he was declared unfit for duty. It eventually was returned to him. He was also suspended twice.

Tamara Seidle, 51, was shot to death as at least one Asbury Park police officer was on the scene, according to witnesses. When Seidle fired off a second round of shots, more police officers were present, but none of them fired their weapons at him, witnesses have said.

The notice specifically names Neptune Township police Chief James Hunt, Neptune police Director Michael Bascom and Asbury Park acting police Chief Anthony Salerno.

The notice also names Neptune City, its police department and police Director Edward Kirschenbaum as a precautionary measure in the event that that neighboring town had a role in Seidle's employment and training. So far, there has been no indication Neptune City was involved in the incident.

Stangler had until Wednesday - 90 days after the fatal shooting - to file the notice of tort claim.