$198.2 Million Verdict for Sexual Assault Survivor Kristene Chapa Against Attacker and Family Pharmacy
After trial: The verdict against David Strickland, who is serving life without parole for the underlying attack, is largely uncollectable; Kristene Chapa said after the verdict he "doesn't have a pot to piss in" and she likely will never collect from him. No appeal had been reported as of this recent 2026 verdict.
Won by The Buzbee Law Firm.
A San Patricio County jury awarded $198.2 million to Kristene Chapa, who was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and shot in the head at a public park in 2012, with the verdict holding her convicted attacker, his father, and their family pharmacy jointly liable.
What happened
On the evening of June 22, 2012, Mary Kristene Chapa and her girlfriend Mollie Olgin were attacked at Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas. David M. Strickland bound both women with duct tape, sexually assaulted them, and then shot each in the head with a .45 caliber handgun. Olgin, 19, died at the scene. Chapa survived, but the bullet caused a traumatic brain injury that left her with tunnel vision, a pronounced limp, chronic pain, and limited use of her left side.
Strickland was convicted of capital murder in 2016 and sentenced to life without parole. Chapa filed a civil suit in 2017 naming Strickland, his father Larry Joe Strickland, and Taft Pharmacy, the family business, as defendants. The premise of the civil claims extended liability beyond the shooter to the family and business connected to him.
The case was tried in March 2026 before Judge Janna K. Whatley in San Patricio County District Court. Tony Buzbee, Colby Holler, and Hall Sasnett of The Buzbee Law Firm represented Chapa. The jury heard testimony covering the physical and psychological harm she has lived with for more than a decade, including lifelong medical needs and the loss of her companionship with Olgin.
After roughly two and a half hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of $198.2 million: $98 million in compensatory damages covering physical pain, mental anguish, medical expenses, impairment, and lost earning capacity, plus $100 million in exemplary (punitive) damages. No reduction or remittitur had been reported as of the date of publication.
The verdict was among the largest civil judgments for a sexual assault case in Texas history.
Sources
This account is drawn from contemporaneous public reporting and the court record.
- 1.The Texas Lawbook: San Patricio County Jury Awards $198M in Sexual Assault Case (March 2026)·Archived copy
- 2.KRISTV (Corpus Christi): Jury awards Kristene Chapa $198 million in civil case against her attacker and his family's pharmacy·Archived copy
- 3.North Carolina Lawyers Weekly (Corpus Christi Caller-Times via Reuters)·Archived copy
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