Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Politics/National
NationalNews

Baltimore County Doesn’t Think Korryn Gaines’ Son Deserves ‘Excessive’ Payout; Demands New Trial

Posted byBy Tia Berger | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Baltimore County officials aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet regarding the Korryn Gaines’ case. Lawyers are requesting a new trial and call the $37 million in damages awarded to her family excessive.

County attorneys claim the jury of six women reacted out of sympathy and mistakenly reprimanded the officer who shot the young woman with no evidence according to documents filed with the court. The lawyers filed post-trial motions on Tuesday, asking the judge to overturn the jury’s decision and reduce the payout amount.

“There’s nothing in there that’s remarkable or that brings us any serious concerns… There’s no amount of money, that, you know, can compensate this family for the life that was taken. This jury verdict is merely a step in the right direction,” the Gaines’ family lawyer J. Wyndal Gordon told Baltimore CBS.

In August of 2016, a live-stream video of Gaines with her 6-year-old son, Kodi, showed a standoff with officers in her Randallstown apartment with a loaded shotgun by her side. The victim was shot to death by Corporal Royce Ruby Jr.and Kodi was wounded during the impasse.

However, county lawyers argue in the court filings, “Kodi failed to present any evidence that the injuries he suffered had a value sufficient to support the jury’s award. The award is based on guesswork, speculation and sympathy.”

The Gaines’ family was awarded $38 million in damages including almost $33 million to Kodi, $4.5 million to daughter, Karsyn and $900,000 to the victim’s parents and estate.

Gordon would like for the county attorneys to “hammer things out.”

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top