Mother seeks damages from Palm Springs after deadly nightclub shooting

The woman whose 21-year-old boyfriend was shot and killed outside Zelda’s nightclub earlier this year is planning to sue the city of Palm Springs on behalf of their 2-year-old son.

Noah Davison was shot in the parking lot of the club in January. The mother of his son, Cynthia Cabrera, says she is now holding the city accountable. Her attorney said she’s seeking damages on behalf of her toddler son, who is now fatherless, claiming the city failed to protect the public after years of crime.

“The city of Palm Springs’ failure to address the dangerous condition, of which they were well aware of for 7 years, needlessly put the public at risk and ultimately led to the death of the claimant’s father,” said David Vassalli, an attorney with the Walter Clark Legal Group. “Now he doesn’t have a father and had things been handled differently that wouldn’t be the case.”

In 2012, the city of Palm Springs implemented a security plan, requiring Zelda’s to have surveillance cameras. 7 years later, Zelda’s still wasn’t compliant.

“Between 2012 and 2019, there were over 100 reports of crime taking place in that parking lot,” Vassalli said. “Time and time again, Zelda;s failed to have their surveillance equipment in place.”

Following the January shooting, Zelda’s business permit was suspended and the club was required to work with the Palm Springs Police Department to come up with a new security plan. A week later, Zelda’s announced its permanent closure after 43 years in the business.

“When a governmental entity is aware of the dangerous condition, they have a duty to either remedy the situation or warn against it,” Vassalli said. “Had the city of Palm Sprinsg done one of those two things, it’s hopeful that our claimant’s father would still be alive.”