A wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Eric Bigone, the 58-year-old man killed in the Outer Sunset last month, alleges that the owners of a home rented by Bigone did so so that they could sell the property.
The civil lawsuit was filed on June 9 by Dino Bigone, the son of Eric and the representative of his estate, seeking a court order that would freeze the sale of the property, as well as damages from the landlord, Philippe Chagniot, and his wife, Barbara Chagniot.
It goes on to state that, starting in January of this year, the Chagniots began harassing Bigone in an attempt to get Bigone to leave the property that he had rented from them since 2023.
After Bigone refused to leave, the suit claims, the Chagniots began refusing to accept his rent payments, which they had previously only accepted in the form of cash, in order to evade taxes. In response, Bigone hired an attorney to help him continue to make rent payments.
State law gives the landlords of single-family properties considerable leverage over tenants — among other things, single-family homes are exempt from rent control. The suit states that Chagniot told Bigone that he had filed paperwork to evict Bigone under the Ellis Act, but there is no evidence Chagniot ever did so. Instead, the suit claims, the Chagniots plotted to kill him so they could sell the empty property.
Bigone was shot and killed on May 17. Chagniot was arrested 11 days later on May 28 and charged with murder. According to a press release from the DA’s office, Bigone’s killer approached the house on a bicycle at 5 a.m., set a fire on the roof of Bigone’s car, then shot Bigone when he left the house to investigate.
The day after Bigone’s death, the suit adds, Barbara Chagniot called Bigone’s son, Dino, offered her condolences, and asked when he would be able to vacate the building.
The San Francisco Police Department was able to track the cyclist’s path to a nearby car using surveillance equipment and Flock cameras. They then tracked that car to Chagniot’s residence in Ingleside, where they found a machine gun, silencer and high-capacity magazine. At his arraignment on May 29, Chagniot pleaded not guilty.
