Judge rules stun gun company liable for death must pay lawyers $1.4 million

February 6, 2009
11:16 pm

Justice Seeker

Heather L. Ryan, R.N., C.L.N.C- Heather Ryan is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant with 15 years of experience in the health care industry. Her expertise in reviewing medical records and assisting lawyers with the determination as to whether legal action should be taken provides an invaluable asset to the newsroom. Medical-malpractice, products liability, personal injury and workers’ compensation are some of the recent areas of litigation Ms. Ryan has focused her efforts on. A member of the Florida Justice Association, Heather maintains a long list of certifications and credentials to support her areas of expertise and stays up-to-date with her clinical knowledge working as an emergency room/trauma nurse, at a Level 1, Adult/Pediatric trauma and teaching institution in South Florida.

Judge rules stun gun company liable for death must pay lawyers $1.4 million

Federal judge orders Taser to pay $1.4 million to lawyers of victim’s family.

Los Angeles, CA (JusticeNewsFlash.com)–U.S. District Court judge ruled Taser International must pay the lawyers fees for the family of a man killed after police repeatedly shocked him with a Taser gun. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), the family of Robert Heston, a 40 year-old Salinas man, sued the stun gun company accruing $1.4 million in plaintiff’s attorneys fees to seek compensation for the wrongful death of Heston.

Heston was shocked over 30 times, with a Taser made device, while police were trying to subdue him in 2005. He died from the multiple shocks. In June 2008, a jury found Taser International, a Scottsdale, Arizona based company, liable for Heston’s death and returned a $6 million verdict. The jury found Taser failed to educate police officers that the device was not meant to be used repeatedly and could be harmful.

The company was found negligent and responsible for the wrongful death of Heston. The federal judge ordered Taser to pay the attorneys fees the family accrued during the legal action.

JusticeNewsFlash.com news for Los Angeles wrongful death litigators.