PORTAGE – The husband and son of Marilyn McIntyre, who was murdered in Columbus in 1980, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the man convicted last year in her death.


Curtis E. Forbes, 54, of Randolph, was sentenced in February to life in prison in McIntyre’s death after jurors, finding him guilty of first-degree murder in a trial in November in Columbia County, agreed with prosecutors that McIntyre, 18, was killed during the early morning hours of March 11, 1980, at her Columbus apartment as her husband, Lane McIntyre, was at work and as their son Christopher, age 3 months, slept in a nearby crib.


Forbes has until Aug. 26 to answer a challenge that Forbes and his former wife, Debra Forbes, are responsible for causing pain and suffering, loss of companionship and society, and emotional distress, according to court documents filed July 12.


Curtis and Debra Forbes were divorced March 31, according to court records.


The conduct of Curtis Forbes and Debra Forbes were “extreme and outrageous” and caused “extreme and disabling” emotional distress for Lane and Christopher McIntyre, according to the court documents.


No damage amounts are specified; the lawsuit also states that Forbes is liable for Marilyn McIntyre’s funeral expenses of $5,500.


William Gergen of Beaver Dam, the attorney who filed the suit, refused to comment on the case, but said Wisconsin statutes allow family members to make a wrongful death claim.


“A civil lawsuit seeks … compensation for damages caused,” Gergen said.

Wisconsin law allows family members to seek compensation for loss of potential wages and as much as an additional $350,000 in the death of an adult “for loss of society and companionship.”