Taser International found liable in killing of Darryl Turner
Taser International, manufacturer of potentially lethal stun guns, was found partially responsible for the death of 17-year-old Darryl Turner after police in Charlotte, N.C., used a Taser device on him during an altercation at a grocery store on March 21, 2008.
Mr. Turner was young and in generally good health, was tasered and was dead almost immediately.
Taser International was ruled responsible for about $9.23 million of the total award; about $6 million of that will be covered by insurance. The city of Charlotte will cover $730,000 as part of a settlement, and $40,000 will be covered by workers’ compensation insurance.
The $3M+ judgment not covered by their insurance consumes their potential profit for even a good year; and that's going to bite very hard. The next pain they feel will be when their insurance carrier(s) realize that this is the new trend. The third pain will be when the investors (a.k.a. morons) read about this and start complaining.
I've not been posting much recently, primarily because I've been waiting for this day.
Taser International can appeal this judgment all they want. The cold hard fact remains that their "safe" product killed Darryl Turner directly.
This one will stick.
The judgment was reduced to about $4M, but the legal findings and the fantastic legal loss stand.
Tasers can kill. Through various mechanisms.
Taser International knew about these risks, but failed to warn.
They're heavily liable in who-knows-how-many other cases. Case law has been established.
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