Daughter of commissioner files suit against estate

The daughter of a deceased Tucumcari city commissioner has filed suit against her sister and her father’s estate, alleging she suffered debilitating injuries during an apparent spat in her dying father’s home three years ago.

Shannon Lumpkin filed a complaint in Tucumcari district court on June 25 for declaratory judgment and damages against American Strategic Insurance Corp., the estate of former District 4 city commissioner Robert Lumpkin and her sister, Bobbie Sandoval of Tucumcari.

She has requested a jury trial to determine the amount of damages.

Shannon Lumpkin, who resides in New York City, stated in the complaint she was injured June 27, 2018, while she and Sandoval were visiting her father’s house in Tucumcari.

While responding to a coughing fit they heard from their father’s room, Sandoval walked in front of Shannon Lumpkin, turned to face her and shoved her in the chest, causing Lumpkin to fall backwards down a set of steps connecting the den to the kitchen.

According to the complaint, Lumpkin fell backwards onto her left hand and arm. The impact of caused her finger to retract into her hand and puncture through her palm. Lumpkin’s hand and arm also were fractured.

She was taken by ambulance to a hospital and transferred to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque for additional treatment. She also suffered from acute respiratory distress at UNMH, caused by medications an orthopedic doctor administered. Surgery was necessary to repair the hand and arm injuries.

Lumpkin stated she still suffers from continued stiffness, loss of range of motion and discomfort in her hand and arm.

Lumpkin alleges negligence by Sandoval and her father’s estate, and that her father’s homeowner’s insurance should have covered the cost of treating her injuries. The complaint stated that American Strategic Insurance Corp. denied coverage for the incident.

She also accused Sandoval of “reckless” assault and personal battery.

Shannon Lumpkin requested a judgment to cover her medical expenses, future pain and suffering and lost wages, plus punitive damages.

Lumpkin is represented by Albuquerque attorney Amelia P. Nelson of the Roybal-Mack & Cordova firm.

No attorney was listed in online court records for Sandoval or the Lumpkin estate.

Robert Lumpkin, 71, died in July 2018 of cancer. After being a Tucumcari High School teacher for 25 years, he served as a city commissioner starting in 2007 and was mayor from 2014 to 2016. The city’s disc-golf course at Five Mile Park, which he championed, was named after him.

Shannon Lumpkin made an unsuccessful bid to fill the rest of her father’s city commissioner term. Christopher Arias was selected in October 2018 to fill the seat, and he still serves in that position today.