Top Individual Wrongful Death Verdicts and Settlements

Fayette County Jury Awards $150.37 Billion After Fatal Gasoline Attack on an 8-Year-Old

In December 2011, a Fayette County, Texas jury awarded the family of an 8-year-old Splendora boy $150.37 billion after he was doused with gasoline and set on fire by a 13-year-old neighbor in 1998, two weeks after the same neighbor sexually assaulted him. The boy survived third-degree burns over 99 percent of his body for nearly 13 years before dying in April 2011 of a skin cancer linked to his injuries. The defendant, Don Wilburn Collins, never appeared to answer the civil suit, and the jury awarded $370 million in actual damages plus roughly $150 billion in punitive damages, the largest civil verdict in U.S. history. Attorney Craig Sico, who represented the family, said from the outset that the judgment was not collectible and was intended to pressure prosecutors into reopening the long-dormant criminal case. Prosecutors did reopen the case, and Collins was later convicted of capital murder in a separate criminal proceeding.

After trial: No appeal was filed in the civil case. Collins had no assets, and the family's attorney said publicly that the judgment was symbolic and would not be paid.

$1.1 Billion Verdict Over Nursing Home Resident's 17 Falls, Never Paid by Insolvent Defendants

A Polk County jury awarded $110 million in compensatory damages and $1 billion in punitive damages over the death of 69-year-old Arlene Townsend, who fell 17 times at the Auburndale Oaks Healthcare Center, in a Wilkes & McHugh case against Trans Healthcare entities that had defaulted, stopped defending, and were already insolvent and in receivership, which is why the judgment was largely symbolic and the estate ultimately recovered only a small share of a later multi-estate settlement.

After trial: Default judgment against insolvent, receivership-bound defendants; never paid. The estate later shared a $23.7M six-estate bankruptcy settlement.

Maddux Family Wins $907 Million Wrongful Death Judgment Against Fugitive Ira Einhorn

In July 1999, a Philadelphia jury awarded $907 million against Ira Einhorn for the 1977 killing of his girlfriend, Helen 'Holly' Maddux, in a civil wrongful death and survival action filed by her family. Einhorn was a fugitive living in France at the time and sent no attorney, so the court directed a verdict for the family on liability and left the six-member jury to decide damages alone. The jury deliberated a little over an hour before returning $752 million in punitive damages and $155 million in compensatory damages. Firm founder James E. Beasley represented the Maddux family. The suit was never intended to collect money from a fugitive with no assets; it was filed to stop Einhorn from profiting off book or movie deals about the case.

After trial: Judgment entered after the defendant, a fugitive in France, presented no defense, with the jury deciding damages only. No post-trial motion or appeal has been reported. See more

$812 Million Verdict for Family of Worker Killed in Pecos Chemical Plant Explosion, Part of $1.6 Billion

A Starr County jury unanimously awarded more than $1.6 billion combined to the families of two workers killed in a 2023 explosion at the Pecos Liquids Handling Facility, with $812 million going to the Garcia Peña family and roughly $809 million to the Alaffa family, finding owner Upton Assets, LLC grossly negligent, though the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy about two weeks before the verdict and collection remains uncertain.

After trial: Upton Assets filed Chapter 11 on April 6, 2026, two weeks before the verdict. Recovery runs through the bankruptcy claims process and Texas punitive damages caps.

Jury Awards $779 Million to Widow of Security Guard Killed in Robbery at Havana, Florida Internet Cafe

Lewis Butler, a security guard, was shot eight times and killed in November 2023 during an armed robbery at an internet cafe in Havana, Florida. The cafe's operators had not reported a robbery three weeks earlier in which the gun used against him was stolen. In December 2025 a Gadsden County jury awarded his widow $779,389,024, including $550 million for pain and suffering and $225 million for loss of companionship.

After trial: We found no reported appeal or post-trial ruling. It is unclear whether the defendants carry liability insurance, and the family's lawyer said they would pursue garnishments and liens. See more

$745 Million Verdict Against Nitrous Oxide Distributor and Head Shop After Crash Killed a 25-Year-Old

A St. Louis County jury returned a $745 million verdict against nitrous oxide distributor United Brands and local head shop Coughing Cardinal after finding the companies conspired to sell Whip-It! canisters as an inhalant to a driver who passed out behind the wheel and fatally struck 25-year-old Marissa Politte outside her workplace.

After trial: The verdict was not overturned. The companies settled after the verdict for $5 million, as reported by the St. See more

$550 Million Wrongful-Death Verdict After Driver Hit 107 mph on Drugs and Alcohol

A Clark County jury awarded $550 million, $50 million compensatory and $500 million punitive, to Nimfa Escobia after her husband Marcial was killed by a driver traveling 107 mph while impaired by alcohol, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and marijuana.

After trial: Nevada caps punitive damages at three times compensatory damages, which exposes the $500 million punitive portion of this verdict to reduction toward roughly $150 million if that cap is applied on appeal; no appellate ruling has been reported yet. The verdict is against an individual driver, Kevin Raspperry, whose insurer had already paid policy limits to the vehicle's owner rather than to him, so the judgment against him personally is largely uncollectable.

$860 Million Verdict in Dallas Crane Collapse Death, Entered as $360 Million Judgment After Exemplary Cap

A Dallas County jury found developer Greystar liable for the 2019 tower crane collapse that killed 29-year-old Kiersten Smith in her apartment, returning an $860 million verdict that Jason and Cory Itkin helped win for her family. The trial court cut the $500 million exemplary award under the Texas statutory cap before signing judgment in August 2023, entering $360,012,006 in compensatory damages jointly and severally against the three Greystar entities plus prejudgment interest, and Greystar's appeal, argued in February 2026, is undecided.

After trial: Reduced and on appeal. The $500,000,000 exemplary award was cut under the Texas cap before judgment in August 2023, leaving $360,012,006 in compensatory damages plus about $45,000,000 in prejudgment interest. See more

Hernando County Jury Awards $330 Million in DUI Wrongful Death of 13-Year-Old

A Hernando County jury returned a $330 million verdict for Angela Stone after a drunk driver ran a stop sign and fatally struck a minivan carrying her 13-year-old daughter.

After trial: The verdict is against an individual drunk driver and is largely uncollectable.

$310 Million Verdict Over Teen's Fatal Orlando FreeFall Ride Fall, Manufacturer Never Appeared

An Orange County jury awarded $310 million to the parents of Tyre Sampson, the 14-year-old who fell to his death from the Orlando FreeFall drop tower at ICON Park in 2022, in a case tried by Kimberly Wald and Michael Haggard against ride manufacturer Funtime Handels GmbH, which sent no lawyer or representative to the trial, leaving collection of the judgment from the absent Austrian company uncertain.

After trial: Uncontested verdict against an absent Austrian manufacturer; collection uncertain; the family's compensation came from prior settlements.

$296 Million Verdict Against Koch Industries for Butane Pipeline Deaths in Kaufman County

A Kaufman County jury awarded $296 million in compensatory damages against Koch Industries after a corroded, unmaintained butane pipeline exploded and killed two teenagers on August 24, 1996.

After trial: Koch settled confidentially before the punitive damages phase went to the jury.

Dallas Jury Finds Charter Liable for Murder of Customer by Its Own Technician

A Dallas jury found Charter Communications liable for the December 2019 murder of 83-year-old customer Betty Jo McClain Thomas by Roy Holden Jr., a Spectrum field technician who had serviced her home the day before, and for forging her signature on an arbitration agreement after her death. The jury awarded $375 million in actual damages and $7 billion in punitive damages. The family then remitted the punitive award down to twice the compensatory damages, in line with the due-process ratio limits the U.S. Supreme Court set in State Farm v. Campbell, and the trial court entered judgment for $1.147 billion. The family later agreed to a further remittitur to $262 million rather than keep defending the larger figure on appeal. Charter then settled confidentially for less than that, funded by its liability insurance, while its appeal to the Fifth Court of Appeals was still pending, and the appeal was dismissed at Charter's own request.

After trial: Reduced by remittitur and then settled. The family remitted the jury's $7 billion punitive award and later agreed to a $262 million judgment (January 18, 2023). See more

Federal Jury Returns $243 Million Verdict Against Tesla in First Autopilot Wrongful Death Trial

A Miami federal jury found Tesla 33% liable for a 2019 Key Largo crash that killed a 22-year-old woman and severely injured her boyfriend, awarding $243 million including $200 million in punitive damages in the first federal trial over a fatal Autopilot accident.

After trial: Judge Bloom denied Tesla's post-trial motion on February 20, 2026. Tesla appealed to the Eleventh Circuit (No. See more

Madison County Jury Awards $241 Million to Family of Courier Killed by Dry Ice Fumes in Car

Eric Johnson, a 64-year-old Missouri courier, lost consciousness and later died after carbon dioxide from dry ice-packed strawberries filled his subcompact car in 2016. His widow sued Prairie Farms Dairy for failing to warn or train him. A Madison County jury awarded $49.5 million in compensatory and $191.5 million in punitive damages in February 2026. Prairie Farms later settled with the family after the verdict.

After trial: After the verdict, Prairie Farms entered a settlement with the Johnson family and assigned its rights against insurer Travelers to the widow, who sued Travelers in federal court in March 2026. The settlement terms are not public, and we could not confirm what amount was ultimately paid or whether any appeal was filed.

Bexar County Jury Awards $210 Million in Wrongful Death of Andreen McDonald

A Bexar County civil jury awarded $210 million to the family of Andreen McDonald, killed by her husband in 2019, in what is reported to be the largest personal injury verdict in county history.

After trial: Andre McDonald is serving a 20-year sentence for manslaughter plus 5 years for evidence tampering in the underlying criminal case, and his criminal appeal was denied in August 2024. The civil verdict is against an incarcerated individual defendant, and no confirmed outcome of a civil appeal has been reported.

Jury Awards $200 Million to Children of Slain Tampa-Area Doctor in Civil Murder Case Against His Wife

A Pinellas County civil jury found Rebecca Schwartz liable for the 2014 murder of her husband, kidney specialist Dr. Steven Schwartz, and awarded his three children $200 million in one of the largest wrongful death verdicts in Florida history.

After trial: The judgment is against an individual defendant; collection is doubtful.

$200 Million Verdict Against R.J. Reynolds for Boston Woman's Lung Cancer Death

A Suffolk County jury awarded $200 million in October 2023, the largest wrongful death award in Boston history, against R.J. Reynolds for the lung cancer death of Rita Jones, who first received free Newport cigarettes as a teenager in 1964.

$200 Million Verdict for 92-Year-Old Who Fell Down Nursing Home Stairwell Strapped in Her Wheelchair

A Pinellas County jury awarded $60 million in compensatory and $140 million in punitive damages over the death of 92-year-old Elvira Nunziata, who tumbled down a stairwell still strapped in her wheelchair at the Pinellas Park Care and Rehab Center, in a Wilkes & McHugh case where the defunct operator Trans Health Management presented no defense at all, meaning the record-setting sum was symbolic from the start; the estate later recovered only a share of a modest multi-estate bankruptcy settlement.

After trial: Unopposed verdict against a dissolved company; never paid. The estate shared the $23.7M six-estate bankruptcy settlement.

$198.17 Million for the Family of Two Brothers Killed in a Westlake Village Crosswalk

A Los Angeles County jury ordered Rebecca Grossman and former Major League pitcher Scott Erickson to pay $198.17 million for the deaths of two brothers, ages 11 and 8, struck in a marked crosswalk near their home.

After trial: The verdict is against two individuals: Rebecca Grossman, who was driving the SUV that struck the boys, and Scott Erickson, found liable for racing alongside her. Grossman is serving 15 years to life in prison for her 2024 murder conviction in the same crash, and whether the family can collect against her disputed, unverified net worth remains unclear; no appeal outcome had been reported as of this research.

U-Haul Pays $160 Million After Overfilled Propane Tank Kills Food Truck Owner and Her Daughter

A $160 million settlement, the largest pre-verdict settlement in Pennsylvania court history, resolved claims against U-Haul after an overfilled propane tank exploded at a North Philadelphia food truck, killing a mother and her teenage daughter and severely burning three others.

After trial: The $160 million figure is a pre-trial settlement, not a jury verdict; U-Haul and the victims' families settled less than a week before trial was set to begin. The settlement was not confidential, and broke down as $69.17 million, $54.3 million, and $36.47 million to the estates involved.