TRAVERSE CITY -- The parents of murdered Traverse City teen Carly Lewis have filed a civil lawsuit against the person accused of killing their daughter.
Traverse City attorney Blake Ringsmuth filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Robert Jensen Schwander on Wednesday in 13th Circuit Court.
Carly's body was found June 14 buried in a sand pile on property owned by the Traverse City Department of Public Works. Investigators say Schwander killed her in a vacant building where he was living and moved her body to the sand pile.
The Lewis' lawsuit seeks unspecified damages exceeding $25,000. Their attorney says the family has been unable to work and say any money awarded would go towards a memorial for Carly.
Schwander is a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and receives payments from the Band through its casino operations.
The Grand Traverse County Prosecutor says he does not expect the civil lawsuit to impact the state's criminal case.
The criminal trial is set to begin on August 31.
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