JMC HASbeen threatened with legal action by the parents of a five-year-old girl who died on a holiday organised by now-defunct tour operator Sunset.
Laura Roberts was killed in July 1998 while on holiday at the Hotel Puento Real in Torremolinos. She suffered head injuries when a 23-stone statue in the hotel fell on her.
An investigation has already been held in Spain, which concluded that the statue was not fastened securely, but no criminal proceedings were brought.
However, following an inquest into Laura’s death, held last week, the family’s solicitor Penny Stead said they will sue the tour operator for negligence. No formal proceedings have begun yet.
Under the Package Travel Regulations, tour operators can be held liable for accidents that occur to holidaymakers.
An ABTAspokesman said:”The family will have to prove by the balance of probability that the hotel was negligent and, if so, the tour operator could be held responsible.”
A spokesman for JMC refused to comment on the case, but issued a statement to say that staff were saddened by the event.