Civil Lawsuit Filed in Tulsa Skyscraper Death

An Oklahoma woman accused of pushing her husband to his death from their high-rise apartment has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the building’s owner.

Amber Hilberling, 20, filed the lawsuit against University Club Tower. Hilberling remained jailed on a second-degree murder charge in last year’s death of Joshua Hilberling, 23, who fell from their 25th-floor apartment.

The lawsuit says Joshua Hilberling “tripped and stumbled” and crashed through the window. Hilberling claims in the lawsuit that the window’s glass was too thin and violated safety codes. She’s seeking more than $10,000 in damages for her and the couple’s infant son.

“Because of the dangerous thinness of the window glass, and its size and location, the glass could be broken by a minimal amount of pressure,” the lawsuit alleged.

Prosecutors allege that Amber Hilberling shoved her husband through the window during an argument. She was being held without bond in the Tulsa County jail and awaits trial, which is set for March.

Amber Hilberling’s attorney, Jasen Corns, told Tulsa television station KTUL that the apartment complex knew or should have known that the window was unsafe.

“This was a window as large as a dining room table and as thin as a napkin,” Corns said. “It was dangerously unsafe and had no business in a 25th-floor living room. Had the window been reasonably safe, Amber would not be a widow and her child would have a father.”

University Club Tower declined to comment on the suit.