The WSJ also quoted California-based consumer attorney Brian Kabateck as saying, "It's a breathtaking amount of punitive damages. "They're a message of how frustrated the jury was with egregious facts." Mark Lanier, according to a Wall Street Journal article.
"Punitive damages like that are never paid-they're always reduced," said Texas civil-trial lawyer W. The large amount of punitive damages awarded raises the likelihood that a judge will lower the penalty.
LABS BLACK KEYCARD TRIAL
Additionally, "Charter Spectrum's employees admitted at trial the field tech's theft and crimes against the victim began while he was on duty and in the course and scope of his employment the day before." Advertisementĭamages likely to be lowered based on precedent Holden's own written pleas to upper management for help because of severe distress over financial and family problems," the family's lawyers said.
LABS BLACK KEYCARD SERIES
Trial testimony also revealed that Charter "hired Roy Holden without verifying his employment history, which would have revealed that he had lied about his work history," and that "supervisors ignored a series of red flags, including Mr.
The Dallas Morning News reported that verdict papers show the "jury agreed that Charter 'knowingly and intentionally' forged the documents." The jury found that Charter Spectrum committed forgery beyond a reasonable doubt, conduct that constitutes a first-degree felony under Texas law." The press release further said that "Charter Spectrum attorneys used a forged document to try to force the lawsuit into a closed-door arbitration where the results would have been secret and damages for the murder would have been limited to the amount of Ms. The Charter Spectrum field tech, Roy Holden, then brutally stabbed the 83-year-old customer with a utility knife supplied by Charter Spectrum and went on a spending spree with her credit cards. Thomas, caught the field tech stealing her credit cards from her purse. Once inside, while fixing her fax machine, the victim, Ms. Although Charter contended he was off-duty the following day, he managed to learn that Ms.Thomas had reported that she was still having problems with her service and used his company key card to enter a Charter Spectrum secured vehicle lot and drove his Charter Spectrum van to her house. Thomas' home the day before her December 2019 murder. The press release described the murder as follows:
He robbed and murdered Thomas one day after a service call. This verdict justly reflects the extensive evidence regarding the nature of the harm caused by Charter Spectrum's gross negligence and reckless misconduct."įormer Spectrum technician Roy Holden pleaded guilty to the 2019 murder of customer Betty Thomas and was sentenced to life in prison in April 2021. "The jury in this case was thoughtful and attentive to the evidence. "This was a shocking breach of faith by a company that sends workers inside millions of homes every year," one of the family's lawyers, Chris Hamilton, said in a press release Tuesday. The jury, which found in the earlier phase of the case that Charter's negligence was a major cause of the death, reportedly reached the $7 billion verdict after less than two hours of deliberation. Charter says it shouldn't be held liable for the murder and that it plans to appeal. The Dallas County Court jury returned the $7 billion verdict on Tuesday after previously finding Charter liable for $337.5 million in compensatory damages.
A Texas jury has ordered Charter Communications to pay $7 billion in punitive damages to the family of an 83-year-old woman murdered in her home by a Spectrum cable technician.