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SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — The estate of a San Francisco man reportedly killed by his landlord last month in retaliation for not vacating the Outer Sunset property he rented filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking damages and a court order preventing the property from being sold.
Philippe Chagniot, 68, was arrested on May 27 and charged with the murder of 58-year-old Eric Bigone, who had been renting a property owned by Chagniot and his wife since 2023.
According to Eric Bigone’s son, Dino, who filed the civil lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday, Chagniot and his wife began harassing Eric Bigone in January by sending unlawful notices to enter, threatening him with eviction and refusing to accept his $3,200 monthly rent payments in an attempt to get him to move out so they could sell the property.
When their efforts failed, Dino Bigone says Chagniot and his wife conspired to murder his father on the morning of May 17 by having Chagniot light a fire on top of Eric Bigone’s car and ambushing him when he left his residence to put out the fire.
According to the San Francisco District Attorney, Chagniot used a silenced and fully automatic Mac-10 firearm to shoot Eric Bigone in the back when he exited his residence, firing another shot once he had already fallen to the ground, killing him. After, prosecutors say Chagniot can be seen biking away from the scene on security footage.
Prosecutors further claim that Chagniot wore dark clothing and a mask, as well as spray-painted security cameras in the area to conceal his actions.
In the civil complaint, Dino Bigone claims that Chagniot’s wife called him to offer condolences the day after his father was killed and asked him when he would leave the premises, with full knowledge that her husband was the one who had killed his father.
He also claims Chagniot texted him the same day: “We’d like to offer our sincere condolences to you and your family during what is no doubt, an extremely difficult time. This is something no one should ever have to experience.”
When Dino Bigone further asked for his father’s security deposit to be returned, he says he was told through an attorney for the Chagniots that there was no deposit. He additionally asserts that he was told that his father’s tenancy was terminated because of his death, and that the Chagniots planned to “secure possession of the property” on June 1.
Chagniot was arrested that same day on murder and gun charges. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
Dino Bigone brings 10 claims — including wrongful death, survivorship, battery, breach of contract and negligence — against Chagniot, his wife and unnamed defendants he believes were responsible for the death of his father.
He also asserts exemplary damages, claiming the defendants have “violent and socially maladaptive tendencies” and the killing of his father was “done with a high degree of cruelty, viciousness or callousness.”
He asks the court for general damages to cover medical costs and loss of income, punitive damages to make an example of the defendants and a court order prohibiting the defendants from transferring or selling the property.
Representatives for both parties did not respond to a request for comment.
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