Texas court upholds $42.4M verdict in prison death

Court Alerts

A Texas appeals court has upheld a multimillion dollar civil verdict against a Florida private prison company in the beating death of an inmate.


The 13th Court of Appeals ruled last week that Wackenhut Corrections Corp., now known as The GEO Group, and Warden David Forrest have to pay $42.5 million to the family of Gregorio de la Rosa Jr.

The company was accused of allowing two inmates to beat de la Rosa with padlocks stuffed in socks. He died in 2001, four days before his expected release from a facility in Raymondville.

A Willacy County jury had ordered the company to pay de la Rosa's family $47.5 million in a 2006 civil judgment. The Brownsville Herald reports that the appeals court reduced the judgment because a family member had died.

Related listings

  • Investors ask court to free funds in Stanford case

    Investors ask court to free funds in Stanford case

    Court Alerts 04/08/2009

    Investors unable to access $1.7 billion connected to companies owned by Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford asked a federal appeals court Monday for access to their money. The holders of about 4,000 accounts had their constitutional rights violated w...

  • Court to decide if good lawyers can get more money

    Court to decide if good lawyers can get more money

    Court Alerts 04/06/2009

    The Supreme Court will decide whether a judge can award more money to winning lawyers because the judge thought they did a good job. The high court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from the state of Georgia over attorney fees for lawyers who sued t...

  • N.Y. Court Ruling Goes to U.S. Club in America's Cup Battle

    N.Y. Court Ruling Goes to U.S. Club in America's Cup Battle

    Court Alerts 04/03/2009

    The lengthy legal tussle between America’s Cup sailing teams BMW Oracle Racing and Alinghi over who has the right to challenge Alinghi for the next Cup appears to have taken a decisive tack in BMW Oracle's favor. On Thursday, the New York State Court...

Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

Business News

St Peters, MO Professional License Attorney Attorney John Lynch has been the go-to choice for many professionals facing administrative sanction. >> read