NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The family of a Connecticut woman mauled and blinded by a chimpanzee sought yesterday to sue the state for $150 million, saying officials failed to prevent the attack.

Attorneys for Charla Nash’s family filed a notice yesterday with the state’s Office of Claims Commissioner asking for permission to sue the state.

The 200-pound chimpanzee, Travis, went berserk in February when his owner, Sandra Herold, asked Nash to help lure him back into her house in Stamford.

The animal chewed off Nash’s hands, nose, lips and eyelids; she remains in stable condition at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

A Department of Environmental Protection biologist warned state officials before the attack that Travis could seriously hurt someone if he felt threatened, noting that he was large and strong.