Charter settles with family of murder victim, says insurance will cover it
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Tony Webster)
Charter Communications was once on the hook for over $7 billion in a case involving a former cable technician who murdered an elderly customer in her home. But Charter is now on the verge of settling the lawsuit for less than $262 million, an amount that will apparently be fully covered by the company's insurers.
A Dallas County Court jury last year decided that Charter should pay the victim's family and estate $7 billion in punitive damages and $337.5 million in compensatory damages. A judge lowered the total amount to over $1.1 billion.
Charter said it planned to appeal the $1.1 billion judgment, and the sides held settlement talks. The family apparently opted to take a smaller amount instead of risking an appeal that would drag out the case longer and potentially result in lower damages or an overturned verdict.