By admin 
HangupsMusic.com – Los Angeles, A comprehensive civil lawsuit has been filed against acclaimed singer David Anthony Burke, widely known as D4vd, accusing him of wrongful death in connection with the tragic demise of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The legal action, initiated by Rivas Hernandez’s grieving parents, extends beyond Burke, implicating his mother, Colleen Burke, his managers, Josh Marshall and Robert Morgenroth, their company Mogul Vision, and a security guard, Sheldon Jacques, for alleged negligence and complicity in failing to safeguard the minor.
The 20-page complaint, obtained by Rolling Stone, echoes many of the disturbing details brought forth during a harrowing court proceeding in July. That multi-day hearing concluded with a Los Angeles County judge determining there was sufficient evidence to compel Burke to stand trial on criminal charges. Just last week, Burke was formally arraigned on a renewed set of charges, which include allegations of sexually assaulting Rivas Hernandez when she was a minor, followed by her murder at age 14. Prosecutors further contend that Burke dismembered her body with a chainsaw and concealed her remains in the front storage compartment of his Tesla vehicle.
According to the new civil filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court, parents Mercedes Martinez and Jesus Rivas assert that the singer began sexually abusing their daughter in November 2023, at which time Rivas Hernandez was only 13 years old. The lawsuit claims that Burke engaged in text message exchanges with the minor concerning a pregnancy he acknowledged was his, and that the alleged abuse persisted for over a year.
The legal document paints a picture of severe power imbalance and manipulative control, stating, “At all relevant times Burke was an adult who occupied a position of authority over decedent, a minor, and was able to and did exercise undue influence and control over her.” This alleged control reportedly manifested through various means, including providing Rivas Hernandez with a hidden cellular telephone to maintain communication without her parents’ knowledge, employing false identities, and orchestrating and financing her travel.
The lawsuit alleges that the events culminating in Rivas Hernandez’s murder on April 23, 2025, began with Burke arranging an Uber to transport her from the vicinity of her family’s home in Lake Elsinore, California, to his residence in the Hollywood Hills. The complaint contends that Burke then stabbed Rivas Hernandez, allegedly to cover up the ongoing abuse. Significantly, the filing highlights forensic details, claiming that the “front-to-back path of the abdominal wound and the absence of any hesitation marks are consistent with an attack upon decedent by another, rather than any self-inflicted injury,” suggesting the attack was not accidental or self-inflicted.
The tragic discovery of Rivas Hernandez’s remains occurred months later, on September 8, 2025, inside Burke’s towed Tesla. The lawsuit underscores the grim state of the body, noting that parents had to endure a agonizing wait until September 16 for positive identification due to the “severely decomposed condition, with portions never recovered.”
Beyond the wrongful death claim, the lawsuit levels a litany of additional accusations against Burke, including battery, sexual battery, childhood sexual assault, assault, false imprisonment, human trafficking, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. These are brought as survival actions by the parents, seeking justice for the suffering their daughter allegedly endured.
A particularly grave accusation is that Burke engaged in human trafficking by purportedly causing or inducing Rivas Hernandez “to engage in commercial sex acts.” The lawsuit elaborates on this claim, stating, “The money, food, shelter, designer gifts, travel, a ring, and a promise of future marriage that Burke gave to [Rivas Hernandez] were given on account of the sexual acts, satisfying the commercial sex-act element.” The filing emphasizes that because Rivas Hernandez was a minor, neither her purported consent nor any alleged mistakes regarding her age serve as a legal defense against these charges.
The scope of the lawsuit extends to entities and individuals closely associated with Burke. His publishing and merchandising companies are named as defendants, with the claim that they served as financial conduits enabling the alleged abuse. His managers, Josh Marshall and Robert Morgenroth, along with their company Mogul Vision, are also cited as co-defendants. Additionally, Sheldon Jacques, identified as Burke’s live-in security guard, is included in the suit. Jacques allegedly drove Burke to pick up Rivas Hernandez from her parents’ home prior to her family reporting her missing in February 2024.
The lawsuit asserts that the "entity defendants and management defendants, through their agents, employees, and funds, and not merely through Burke’s personal acts, provided or facilitated the residence, transportation, travel, communications, security and logistics that enabled Burke to isolate (Rivas Hernandez) from her family and to be alone with her.” It further specifies that Mogul Vision, whose primary client was Burke, was responsible for leasing the Los Angeles residence where Burke resided and where many of the alleged illicit acts took place.
Adding to the layers of alleged complicity, the complaint indicates that Morgenroth not only managed Burke’s daily affairs but also reportedly “resided at” the rented mansion where the alleged murder and dismemberment occurred. This detail takes on added weight given testimony from a former financial executive at Mogul Vision during the July hearing, revealing Burke, known for his hit song “Romantic Homicide,” amassed an estimated $10 million to $11.5 million in gross earnings from recording, merchandising, and music-publishing deals.
Burke’s mother, Colleen Burke, is also a central figure in the negligence claims. As her son’s personal financial manager, she was a signatory on his accounts, approved and paid his bills, and allegedly “controlled the flow of the enterprise’s funds.” The lawsuit argues that Colleen Burke, “by approving and funding arrangements that housed decedent and enabled Burke’s access to her, and by hosting decedent, a minor, for one or more nights in her own home with Burke, undertook conduct giving rise to a duty to exercise reasonable care for decedent’s protection.”
All co-defendants in the lawsuit face accusations of negligence for their alleged failure to protect a minor. The filing contends that these individuals and entities “knew or should have known of Burke’s dangerous propensities toward and sexual exploitation of [Rivas Hernandez], a minor, and failed to take reasonable steps to protect her, to supervise Burke, or to prevent the continued abuse.” The parents further allege that at least one or more of the management defendants possessed “actual knowledge” that Burke was sexually abusing Rivas Hernandez, a minor, yet continued their professional association with him. The family reserves the right to amend the complaint with additional allegations as further evidence emerges through the discovery process.
Sheldon Jacques, the security guard, is specifically named in an aiding-and-abetting claim linked to the accusations of sexual battery, childhood sexual assault, and false imprisonment. The parents contend that Jacques provided “substantial assistance and encouragement” to Burke by helping to remove Rivas Hernandez from her family home, transporting her, and facilitating Burke’s continued access to and control over her.
As of Tuesday, lawyers representing Colleen Burke and the singer’s managers at Mogul Vision did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s requests for comment. Attempts to contact Jacques for a statement were also unsuccessful.
Rivas Hernandez’s parents are seeking unspecified damages, to be determined by a jury trial. The lawsuit also notes that the alleged childhood sexual assault of their daughter “resulted from a cover-up and a concerted effort to hide evidence” on the part of certain defendants, which they believe entitles them to triple damages under the law.
This new civil action unfolds in the wake of a Rolling Stone investigation published last month, which delved into a pattern of concerning behavior attributed to Burke, much of which reportedly predated his alleged abuse of Rivas Hernandez. The family’s pursuit of justice has also extended to the criminal proceedings. In a powerful statement released through their lawyer over the weekend, Rivas Hernandez’s parents urged Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman to seek the death penalty against Burke. While Hochman has reiterated that his office has not yet made a final decision on pursuing capital punishment, he confirmed that the alternative maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole remains an option.
“If the death penalty were activated, it would be perfect for this kind of human being, devoid of feelings and emptiness inside, and without conscience, who only caused pain to our daughter, our family, and the world that supports our precious daughter,” the family expressed in their statement, shared by their lawyer Patrick Steinfeld and obtained by Rolling Stone. “But that’s not in our hands, but rather in God’s, and the California justice system.” The civil lawsuit represents a parallel legal avenue for the family to seek accountability and compensation for the profound loss and alleged suffering endured by Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
