Most Grotesque Verdict: Chef Admits to Cooking Wife, Then Backtracks
David Viens is serving 15 years to life in prison for second degree murder after he told prosecutors he boiled his wife to death, according to this Associated Press story in Komo News. Upon an appeal claiming there was insufficient evidence Veins was guilty, a California state appeals court panel upheld the initial ruling. Veins later backtracked on his story, and said he hallucinated the ordeal after having surgery. Her body was never recovered.
Most Global Verdict: Boston Marathon Bomber's Pal Found Guilty
A friend of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found guilty of obstruction of justice and conspiring to obstruct justice, and legal experts say the verdict may have a rippling effect in the cases of Tsarnaev’s other associates, according to this Boston Globe piece.
Azamat Tazhayakov, 20, who attended the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and hails from Kazakhstan, was found to have hindered the FBI’s investigation into Tsarnaev in the days following the bombing. The quick turnaround- 15 hours- on the guilty verdict has the legal community wondering if it is possible to have fair trials for others involved with the Boston Marathon bomber in the city rocked by the attack, and has led to speculation plea deals may be cut with authorities. However, attorney’s representing other friends of Tsarnaev contest Tazhayakov’s trial will have any meaningful bearing on future proceedings, as the cases are substantially different.
Most Smokey Verdict: Tobacco Company on Hook for $23B
An Escambia County jury awarded a whopping $23 billion to a Pensacola woman whose husband died as a result of smoking. The case, Cynthia Robinson v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, stemmed from the Engle v. Liggett Group Inc. class action suit that initially awarded $145 billion to those affected by tobacco use.
The initial ruling was overturned, though; individuals were permitted to pursue lawsuits outside the historic class action settlement. Cynthia Robinson was one such litigant. Trial attorney Willie Gary said in the Pensacola News Journal article: "All the cards were put on the table to show how the tobacco industry lied and failed to disclose information that could have saved lives, and that's what the jury ruled on in this case."
Most Game-changing Verdict: Dodgers Responsible for Beating of Giants Fan
The Los Angeles Dodgers may have won the 2011 season opener, but the team will ultimately take a loss in the pocketbook, after a jury has ruled former team owner Frank McCourt and the Dodgers are on the hook for damages resulting from the parking-lot beating of San Francisco Giant's fan Bryan Stow, according to this LA Times article.
Stow's attorney argued a lack of security and lighting contributed to the conditions that led to his injuries, which have life-long implications. Dodger's attorneys argued security was, in fact, more than adequate and had been stepped up to its tightest standards prior to the game. According to the story, Dodger's lawyer Dana Fox blamed Stow himself and assailants Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood for the incident and said Stow should have sought damages from his attackers rather than the team.
Most Memorable Verdict: Hallmark Wins Trade Secrets Suit
There's a reason those Hallmark cards always seem to capture the moment perfectly- research. However, according to the Eighth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, a $31.3 million verdict will be upheld in favor of the greeting card giant, who alleged consumer behavior research they paid for ended up in the wrong hands.
Monitor Co. Group LP was hired in 2001 to conduct the research, according to a Kanas City Business Journal article, but allegedly improperly sold their findings to Monitor Clipper Partners, LLC, even after signing a confidentiality agreement. Judge Roger Wollman said evidence was destroyed and hard drives wiped, however, two damning emails containing Power Point presentations were recovered by an independent forensic investigator that helped Hallmark garner the settlement.