Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s parents have opened a new civil case against D4vd and several people tied to his career as the singer awaits trial on criminal charges connected to the teenager’s death.
Mercedes Martinez and Jesus Rivas filed a wrongful death lawsuit against D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. According to Rolling Stone, the 20-page complaint seeks unspecified damages and accuses Burke of wrongful death along with a series of other alleged civil violations.
The filing also names Burke’s mother, Colleen Burke, managers Josh Marshall and Robert Morgenroth, management company Mogul Vision, live-in security guard Sheldon Jacques and businesses connected to the singer. Celeste’s parents allege those defendants knew or should have known about the alleged exploitation of a minor and failed to take reasonable steps to protect her, allegations that remain to be tested in the civil case.
The lawsuit largely tracks accusations prosecutors have presented in the criminal proceedings. It alleges Burke began sexually abusing Celeste when she was 13, arranged transportation that allowed him to see her without her parents’ knowledge and killed the 14-year-old at his Hollywood Hills residence in April 2025. Her remains were discovered months later, on Sept. 8, 2025, in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke.
Burke has pleaded not guilty in the criminal case, where he faces charges including murder, lewd acts involving a child under 14 and mutilation of human remains. A judge ruled after a preliminary hearing in July that there was enough evidence for him to stand trial, extending a case that has kept the singer at the center of intense legal scrutiny.
The new civil action adds another layer to a case already affecting Burke’s personal and professional affairs. Recent developments surrounding D4vd’s finances have unfolded as the criminal prosecution moves forward, while the lawsuit now seeks to hold multiple people and entities around him financially responsible for alleged negligence.
Celeste’s parents are asking for damages to be determined at trial, and the complaint says they may add allegations as discovery produces more evidence. The wrongful death lawsuit is separate from Burke’s criminal prosecution, meaning the civil claims will proceed under a different legal standard even as he continues to contest the charges against him.
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