In an amended civil lawsuit filed by the parents of late Penn State student Christopher Raspanti, all defendants involved would have to pay punitive damages for Raspanti's untimely death.

Raspanti, 21, died April 24, 2005, when he was unable to escape his house at 500 E. Beaver Ave. after it caught on fire, which may have been caused by faulty wiring.

Attorney Cliff Bidlingmaier filed the lawsuit December 2, 2005, on behalf of William and Kimi Raspanti, Christopher's parents, of Fairless Hills. The lawsuit is a civil action against landlords Rodney Hendricks, Charles Tabolsky, Hendricks/Tabolsky Investments and Continental Real Estate Management Inc., 333 S. Allen St.

Bidlingmaier said the amended complaint was filed March 27 because the Centre County Court of Common Pleas asked that the lawsuit be more specific by explicitly stating that each defendant was being sued for punitive damages.

Punitive damages are to punish individuals for wrongdoing and to avoid tragic incidents from occurring again, Bidlingmaier said.

In the original lawsuit, the punitive damages claims were included only against Hendricks/Tabolsky Investments.

"Essentially, the suit is exactly the same," Bidlingmaier said. "It is a minor procedural change."

The suit alleges that the defendants are liable because they were aware that the third floor of the property, where Raspanti lived, "was not equipped with necessary means for escape to assure the safety of the tenants."

The lawsuit states that the plaintiffs are suing for "compensatory and punitive damages" in the amount of $50,000.

According to court documents, the defendants' knowledge "of the unsafe conditions of the property since the inception of their ownership in 1992, with continuing code and safety violations, constitutes intentional acts done with bad motive, or with reckless indifference to the interest of others."

The amended lawsuit comes several weeks after the attorneys for the defendants filed documents saying the lawsuit was nonspecific and vague.

William Krekstein, Hendricks' lawyer, and Continental Real Estate Management submitted complaints that the suit made claims that were unsupported.

"Basically, amended complaints are filed quite frequently for technical and minor reasons," David Ginsberg, the attorney representing Charles Tabolsky, said.

Ginsberg said his client, as a minority owner, was not in control of the property and had no ability to be involved.

"When people are partners, the court can impose a certain financial obligation for things that are admitted to not be your fault," he said.

Ginsberg said that theoretically, if a partner does something wrong, innocent partners can be held accountable.

He added that his client has tremendous sympathy for the family and was devastated to hear that someone had died in the fire.

Lawyers for Continental Real Estate Management, Hendricks and Hendricks/Tabolsky Investments could not be reached by press time.