A jury in a wrongful death lawsuit brought against rocker Tommy Lee has cleared the drummer of responsibility for the death of a four-year-old boy who drowned in his swimming pool in June 2001.
German-born actress Ursula Karven-Veres and her Hollywood producer husband, James Veres, sued Lee for $10 million, contending the former Motley Crue drummer should have had a lifeguard who knew CPR watching the pool at his Malibu villa during his son Brandon's birthday party.
The Santa Monica, California jury deliberated less than three hours before unanimously deciding that Lee was not responsible for the death of Daniel Veres.
Jury foreman Howard Pollack said the panel quickly discounted any negligence by Lee and found that others shared the blame for the pre-schooler's drowning.
"It was very, very obvious that Tommy Lee was not responsible for the death of that child," Pollack said.Outside court, Lee's attorney Jim Baratta said the rocker "really does not take pleasure" in the verdict.
"We feel very badly for these people but he was never responsible for this and I think everyone knew that," Baratta said.
Lee shares custody of Brandon, now 6, and Dylan, 4, with ex-wife and former "Baywatch" actress Pamela Anderson.
According to the lawsuit, Daniel Veres was unconscious for only a few minutes when he was pulled from the pool but there was no one with life-saving skills on hand.
Karven-Veres testified that her son was afraid of the water, and that she was not aware the event was a pool party.
Daniel was taken to the party by his German au pair, Christian Weihs, who later left the Malibu villa to attend a concert elsewhere and asked another nanny to watch the boy.