Awards

Alabama Jury Awards $400,000 to Inmate Over Neglected Injury Leading to Foot Amputation

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MOBILE, Ala. — A federal jury awarded $400,000 this week to a man from Escambia County, Alabama, after he claimed a prison doctor neglected an injury that later led to the partial amputation of his foot. Canyon Duff Moye, who was incarcerated at Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore, accused the prison’s medical director, Dr. Manuel Pouparinas, of deliberate indifference to his medical condition during his time in prison from October 2019 to August 2022. Moye, 28, from Uriah, initially sustained an injury following a car accident in 2015 which resulted in peripheral neuropathy, a condition … Read more

Misunderstood Humor or Discrimination? Jury Awards $220,000 in Controversial Workplace Harassment Suit Over Cajun Joke

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Washington, D.C. — A federal jury’s decision to award substantial damages in a case many considered frivolous resurfaces discussions about the unpredictable nature of offensive speech litigation. The contentious case centered on an incident where Allen Fruge, a Department of Energy employee in Texas, used a regional slang term in a humorous award intended to celebrate his colleagues’ participation in a training session. This term, however, was misconstrued by a recipient, leading to allegations of racial insensitivity and propelling the matter into the courts. Fruge, a white man and a self-identified Cajun, generated the certificates … Read more

Jury Awards $1.1 Million in Defamation Case to Drag Performer Falsely Accused of Indecency

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COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho — A drag performer in Idaho was awarded over $1.1 million in a defamation case against a blogger who falsely accused him of indecent exposure during a public performance. On Friday, following a five-day trial and roughly three and a half hours of deliberation, the jury reached a unanimous verdict in favor of the performer, delivering a pivotal decision on the consequences of defamation through social media. The case centered around Eric Posey, a resident of Post Falls, who took legal action after blogger Summer Bushnell claimed he had exposed himself during … Read more

Jury Awards $10 Million in Wrongful Death and Injury Case Against Jackson County Deputy

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Kansas City, Mo. — A Missouri state court has awarded $10 million in damages after a wrongful death and injury lawsuit was filed against Jackson County following a deputy-involved shooting that resulted in one death and left a woman injured. On a fateful night five years ago, a routine patrol escalated dramatically when two deputies from the Jackson Belden Police Department, both of who had been on the force for under five years, responded to what they believed was a routine disturbance at a local residence. However, the situation rapidly deteriorated, leading to the fatal … Read more