BOYNTON BEACH, FL — A wrongful death lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County accuses the owner and manager of a Boynton Beach apartment complex of failing to provide adequate security before a fatal shooting that killed a resident and, the filing says, left his wife and young child shot at and witnesses to his death.
The lawsuit, Mirlene Obas, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Berkens Obas, Mirlene Obas individually, and Z.O., a minor child, v. Ashley Lake Fee Owner LLC, ZRS Management LLC, and TruAmerica Multifamily LLC, was filed July 16, 2026, in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County. Court records list the case number as 502026CA007976XXXAMB. The complaint was filed by attorneys Todd L. Baker and Alec J. Zavell of Baker and DiSalvo, P.A., in Boynton Beach. The filing does not identify a defense attorney.
According to the complaint, the shooting happened on or about Sunday, August 10, 2025, at the Ashley Lakes Apartments at 5020 Ashley Lake Drive in Boynton Beach. The lawsuit alleges the three companies owned, operated, managed or controlled the complex. Ashley Lake Fee Owner LLC and TruAmerica Multifamily LLC are described in the filing as companies based in Los Angeles, while ZRS Management LLC is described as an Orlando-based company.
The complaint states that Berkens Obas was shot and killed while on the property. It alleges that his wife, Mirlene Obas, and their child, identified in court records only by the initials Z.O., were present in the area, were shot at, and directly witnessed the shooting.
The lawsuit claims the companies knew or should have known that the complex was in what the filing calls a high-crime area. According to the complaint, numerous prior criminal acts, including shootings, assaults, robberies, burglaries and drug dealing, occurred on or around the property before August 2025. The filing alleges the companies had a duty to protect residents and guests from reasonably foreseeable criminal attacks and did not meet it.
Among the specific allegations, the complaint claims the companies failed to provide adequate security, failed to maintain working security gates or a staffed guard house, failed to keep enough working surveillance cameras, and failed to put an adequate security plan in place. The lawsuit alleges those failures created a dangerous condition and led to the fatal shooting. Those are allegations that have not been proven in court.
The complaint is built around 15 counts. Several are brought on behalf of the estate under Florida's Wrongful Death Act and seek damages tied to Berkens Obas's death, including lost companionship and protection, mental pain and suffering, medical and funeral expenses, and lost support and future earnings. Other counts are brought individually by Mirlene Obas and by the child, alleging they suffered their own injuries and lasting harm from being shot at. The final counts allege negligent infliction of emotional distress, claiming the wife and child suffered emotional harm that turned into physical symptoms after watching Berkens Obas die.
The lawsuit describes an action for damages in excess of $50,000, exclusive of interest, costs and attorney's fees, and the plaintiffs demand a trial by jury.
The filing reviewed by Boca Post does not include a response from the defendants. The allegations are claims made by one side in a civil case and have not been tested or decided by a judge or jury. Naming a company as a defendant is not a finding of wrongdoing.
As of the filing date, the case appears to be newly filed, with a jury trial demanded and no defense response included in the reviewed complaint.
From negligence claims to contract disputes and association-related lawsuits, Boca Post covers selected Boynton Beach civil filings in Palm Beach County courts.
Your Side of the Story
Boca Post reports on civil filings, complaints, and public disputes based on official court records and public documents. A filing represents an allegation and does not constitute a finding of liability.
Individuals and businesses mentioned in coverage may submit a clearly labeled Sponsored Response to share their perspective. This is separate from our journalism and does not alter our reporting.
Factual errors are corrected free of charge.
