ORLANDO, Fla. — SeaWorld released a statement Thursday evening claiming that the lawyer for a family suing the company threatened to have them appear on Oprah. The family has sued the theme park after witnessing the whale attack that killed trainer Dawn Brancheau in February.
DOCUMENT: Read Family's Complaint VIDEO REPORT: Family Suing SeaWorld Goes On TV
"SeaWorld was contacted in March by an attorney claiming to represent the Connell family who threatened to have the family appear on Oprah Winfrey's talk show if the company did not immediately agree to a cash payment," the company wrote in the statement.
The family's lawyer denied it Friday and, on an early morning program, said he wanted SeaWorld to take some kind of responsibility.
The parents say that their 10-year-old son is traumatized from seeing the violent attack. The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $15,000 for the boy's condition, which includes panic attacks and anxiety.
"It's been six months ago, it happened on Tuesday, and things aren't getting any better. He's been getting a little better, but he's been having nightmares again last week. It just seems to not be going away at all," the boy's mother Suzanne Connell said.
The family is also suing the theme park for negligence, saying SeaWorld decided to keep the killer whale even though the whale had a violent history, including killing a man who sneaked into the pool in 1999.
Previous Stories: August 26, 2010: Lawsuit: SeaWorld Trainer's Death Tramautized Boy August 25, 2010: Family Of Trainer Killed At SeaWorld Hires Attorney August 24, 2010: SeaWorld Calls OSHA Report "Unfounded," Will Contest Citation August 23, 2010: SeaWorld Fined $75K In Trainer's Attack Death