Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Singer D4vd as Prosecutors Allege Teen Abuse, Murder and Hidden Ties in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA — The family of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has filed a civil lawsuit against singer D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, following the teenager’s death and the separate criminal case already moving forward in Los Angeles County. ABC News confirmed that the complaint was accepted and stamped by Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The lawsuit makes a wide-ranging set of accusations, including wrongful death, fatal stabbing, sexual battery, childhood assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and human trafficking. It also seeks damages for the loss of Rivas Hernandez, the alleged abuse she suffered and the emotional distress her parents say they endured.

Lawsuit asks jurors to decide damages instead of naming a dollar amount

The complaint does not put a number on the requested compensation. Instead, it asks for damages to be determined at trial, along with punitive damages.

That approach leaves the financial stakes open-ended and signals that the family wants a jury to weigh both the alleged conduct and the impact on the teen’s parents. The filing frames the case as more than a single-claim dispute, tying together claims about the alleged abuse, the death itself and the emotional harm the family says followed.

Because the lawsuit is civil, it runs alongside the criminal case rather than replacing it. The family is seeking accountability through the courts while prosecutors pursue separate charges against the singer.

Managers, family members and companies are also named in the civil filing

The lawsuit extends beyond D4vd and names several people connected to his professional and personal life. Among them are the head of the music-management company that represented him and also served as his personal manager, his day-to-day manager who lived at his Hollywood Hills home, and a live-in security guard.

D4vd’s mother, Colleen Burke, is also named. The complaint says she served as her son’s personal finance director. His principal recording and entertainment company and his music-publishing company are included as well.

An attorney for Colleen Burke declined to comment. ABC News also said attempts to reach the other named businesses and individuals were unsuccessful.

How investigators say Rivas Hernandez was found in Hollywood

Rivas Hernandez’s badly decomposed and dismembered remains were discovered in September 2025 in the trunk of a Tesla registered to D4vd at an impound lot in Hollywood. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later identified the body as hers.

The discovery turned an already grim case into one that drew intense public attention, especially because the vehicle was tied to a rising music figure. The lawsuit now arrives after months of criminal investigation and after the medical examiner’s identification helped confirm the victim’s identity.

A vigil for the teenager was held Sept. 7 to remember her. The timing of the filing also comes just days after what would have been her 16th birthday.

Prosecutors say the relationship began when she was 13 and he was 18

In the criminal case, prosecutors allege that D4vd and Rivas Hernandez began a sexual relationship in 2023, when he was 18 and she was 13. They say she was killed after threatening to expose the relationship and damage his career.

Prosecutors also allege that just as tickets for his world tour were about to go on sale, he ordered an Uber that brought Rivas Hernandez to his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025. That was the last time she was seen alive, according to prosecutors.

They further allege he took a series of “ghoulish” steps to dismember her body after the killing. Those claims remain allegations, but they form the backbone of the state’s murder case.

D4vd has pleaded not guilty and is now represented by a public defender

D4vd was arrested and charged in April in criminal court with murder in connection with Rivas Hernandez’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that include first-degree murder, sexual abuse of a child and unlawful mutilation of human remains.

He is now being represented by a public defender. The shift marks the latest stage in a case that has moved from a shocking discovery to a high-profile criminal prosecution and now a broader civil fight.

The new lawsuit does not change the criminal charges, but it adds another legal front and broadens the list of people and companies the family says should answer for what happened. For supporters of the teenager, it is the next formal step in a case that has already upended both the music world and the public’s understanding of the investigation.

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