Chimp owner's $10 million in assets frozen

A judge agreed to freeze at least $10 million worth of assets belonging to the owner of a chimpanzee who savagely attacked a woman in February.

Charla Nash of Stamford, Conn., remains in critical but stable condition at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where she was taken for long-term medical care after the attack, in which she suffered traumatic brain injury and the loss of her hands, nose, lips and eyelids.

The attack occurred Feb. 16, after her friend Sandra Herold asked for help getting her pet chimp, Travis, back into her house.

In Superior Court in Stamford yesterday morning, lawyers for Herold and for Michael Nash, Charla's twin and conservator, reached an agreement that covers six small commercial properties that Herold owns, as well as other assets. An attorney for Nash said the properties were worth only about $4 million in the current market.

Nash's lawyers are seeking as much as $50 million in damages. Herold's assets include property in Stamford, the estate of her late husband, and her business, Desire Me Motors.

The next question in the case is whether other defendants will be added to the lawsuit, such as the state or the city of Stamford.