Carolyn Bessette died alongside her husband, John F. Kennedy Jr., and her sister, Lauren Bessette, in a devastating plane crash in July 1999, which FX’s Love Story partially reenacted for viewers. The final episode of the anthology series, titled Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, dramatized John, Carolyn and Lauren’s final moments in that small plane as well as the devastation it caused both the Bessette and Kennedy families.
One person in particular stood out to viewers during that episode: Carolyn and Lauren’s mother, Ann Freeman, played by actress Constance Zimmer. Ann’s grief comes doublefold as she mourns the loss of both her daughters, and she blames John for their deaths.
After watching the episode, many unfamiliar with the situation wondered whether Anne sued the Kennedys for Carolyn and Lauren’s deaths. Here, we break down the facts.
Carolyn was 33 years old when she died in July 1999. Her sister, Lauren, was 34.
John was 38 years old when he died in the plane crash that killed his wife and sister-in-law.
Ann sought “the right to file personal-injury and wrongful-death lawsuits in the future against ‘unknown’ people or parties,” according to The New York Times, which reported in August 1999 that Ann had filed the paperwork. She pursued legal claims against JFK Jr’s estate, including “wrongful death and conscious pain and suffering,” according to Entertainment Weekly.
Manhattan-based lawyer Harold Lee Schwab said that it was possible to claim negligence on Lauren’s behalf against JFK Jr.’s insurance carrier or his estate. Per EW, Schwab said, “Her sister could have a cause of action for negligent operation of the aircraft. Given the current state of facts, it certainly would seem that a case can be made out for negligence in the operation of the aircraft.”
