Family awarded $700 million following brutal murder

On Behalf of | Jul 22, 2019 | Wrongful Death

News of a wrongful death lawsuit being filed in Ocean County may be met with skepticism in the eyes of some. The belief may be that the family or friends of those who died are simply trying to profit off their deaths. In reality, nothing could typically be further away from the truth. The motivations of those seeking action following the wrongful death of a loved one may vary (yet typically do not include any degree of opportunism). Some may need to try and replace the financial support that the decedent provided them. In other cases, people may simply be looking to compensate for the emotional void that one’s death left in their lives. 

Then there may be instances where the family of one who died due to the actions of another simply want a degree of accountability assigned to the responsible parties. Such was the aim of the family of a Florida man who was brutally murdered in 2012. A jury recently awarded them $700 million in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against his killers. Yet both of the men who killed him are currently serving life sentences, and are thus unable to pay anything towards the reward. Yet a representative of the family said they knew this going into their proceedings, and that there actions where simply another way of seeking justice for their loved one. 

Whatever one’s motivations are for filing a wrongful death lawsuit, earning compensation through such an action can be difficult. One’s chances of securing a favorable outcome may increase dramatically if they have an experienced attorney in their corner.