By Robert Connelly, GateHouse Media Illinois
The McDonough County VOICE
OTTAWA — A recent appellate court decision overturned Circuit Judge Richard Gambrell’s decision to overturn a 2017 jury’s $4 million award in a 2004 fatal crash involving a county deputy. That means McDonough County will need to come up with about $2.6 million to pay the highest ever civil jury award in the history of the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
The Third District Appellate Court, in an opinion published April 19, overturned Judge Gambrell’s ruling in October 2017 that overturned a jury’s $4 million award to a family involved in that crash and a finding that the McDonough County Sheriff’s Office was liable. That means the award is reinstated, with interest, and is now more than $4.6 million, according to attorney John Spesia, who represented the Dayton family.
The civil jury award of now more than $4.6 million is believed to be the highest civil jury award in Ninth Judicial Circuit Court history.
Related News
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
$4M verdict revived by 3rd District
WGEM-News
Court reinstates verdict against McDonough County Sheriff’s Office
