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Culture War Roundup for the week of November 11, 2024

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What makes you think that? As someone whose job it is to evaluate cases for settlement potential, it would be high but not totally out of line considering the heinous nature of the act and the age of the victims. High sympathy factor plus incredibly unlikable defendant means big verdict. 1.44 billion divided by 28 victims equals about 50 million per, which is less than a lot of cases you've never heard about. Like the products liability case against Mitsubishi that netted a single plaintiff nearly a billion dollars. Or the medical malpractice case that awarded over 100 million to a child born with cerebral palsy. Or the 50 million mesothelioma verdict awarded to the widow of a guy in his 60s (and that was back in 2010).

Are murderers sued in civil court for damages?

Yes.

Wrongful death actions can be pursued against a person also facing criminal charges for the same event. Even if the person is not found guilty of a criminal charge, he may still be found liable for wrongful death due to the lower burden of proof in civil court.

Can you provide a link for the Mitsubishi award? I did a simple Google and couldn’t find it.