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D4vd's legal troubles are getting worse after the family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez filed a civil lawsuit against him.
According to a report the Los Angeles Times published on Tuesday, September 8, the family's attorney has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the singer, born David Anthony Burke, as well as members of his family and team. In the lawsuit, the teenage girl's parents accused Burke of starting his inappropriate relationship with Celeste in November 2023 when she was 13. They claim he ordered rides for Celeste from their home in Lake Elsinore, Calif., to his house in the Hollywood Hills. They allege Burke sent his live-in bodyguard, Sheldon Jacques, to pick Celeste up from their home.
The family alleged that Burke and Celeste sent sexually explicit text messages to one another and had sexual intercourse at his home. They claim Burke took photos of their sexual encounters and continued the relationship, even though he was warned that she was underage by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy. In 2024, Burke allegedly got the teen pregnant and pressured her into getting an abortion. On the night before the teen was killed, the couple got into an argument where Celeste allegedly texted him, “I will end ur career and ur life.”
Burke was arrested and charged with murdering the 14-year-old girl, mutilating her body, and lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The first-degree murder charge with special circumstances makes him eligible for the death penalty, which the girl's family also supports.
The lawsuit names Burke, Jacques, the singer's manager, Josh Marshall of Mogul Vision, Burke's mother, Colleen Burke, and his finance manager, Robert Mogenroth. The family alleged that Marshall hired Jacques to protect his artist while living at the home he leased in Los Angeles. His mom oversaw his firm, and Mogenroth approved all payments that allegedly funded Burke's actions. They also claim that Marshall, Jacques, Mogenroth, and Burke's mom knew or should have known about the singer's sexual relationship with their teenage daughter and failed to stop the alleged abuse.
The family is seeking unspecified damages from Burke and everyone named in the lawsuit. They filed the lawsuit on the anniversary of the day Celeste's body parts were found in the front trunk of a Tesla that's registered to Burke. The teen would've turned 16 on Monday. Before the lawsuit was filed, the family called for Burke to get the death penalty if he's convicted. A judge recently ruled the case would move forward to trial, but a date has not been scheduled yet.