Mauling Chimp's Owner Dead

The owner of the chimpanzee that mauled and blinded a Connecticut woman in 2009 has died, her lawyer tells the Stamford Advocate. Sandra Herold, 72, suffered an aortic aneurysm. She was being sued for $50 million by the family of mauling victim Charla Nash, and "her heart, which had been broken so many times before could take no more," the lawyer said.

He was also careful, however, to describe Nash as Herold's "friend and employee." Her defense against the lawsuit is that the mauling was job-related and therefore the case should be considered a workers' compensation issue. Nash is recuperating in the Boston area and hopes to undergo a face and hand transplant.