Charter Communications, which also operates as Spectrum, was hit with a combined $7.37 billion verdict – including $7 billion meant to punish the company.
A Dallas County jury found that Charter Communications acted negligently in hiring a field technician who killed one of its clients.
According to the jury, the “systemic security breaches” led to the robbery and stabbing death of an 83-year-old woman by a cable repairman inside her home in December 2019, and for using forged documents to try to keep a jury from hearing the lawsuit.
Earlier in June, the jury also said that Charter was to pay 90% of $375 million in damages to Thomas’ family.
In December 2019, officers arrested 43-year-old Roy Holden Jr., and he later pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison in April 2021.
The trial lasted over two weeks with jurors hearing arguments from the victim’s family’s lawyers that the company was negligent in its employee screening, hiring, and supervision. They also argued that the company missed warning signs by Holden and failed to regulate the use of company vehicles.
More details of this report from the ‘WFAA’ report:
In the latest update, the jury has awarded $7 billion in punitive damages to Thomas’ family due to Holden’s crimes.
Chris Hamilton, a lawyer for the family, called Spectrum’s hiring of Holden a “shocking breach of faith” given that the company “sends workers inside millions of homes every year.”
The lawsuit pointed out that Charter Communications nixed an employee screening program set in place by Time Warner Cable, which was bought out by Charter in 2016. WFAA reports that Holden was hired without verification of his employment history, which allegedly included forgery, falsifying documents, and harassment.
On top of his alarming work history prior to Spectrum, reports say that the company failed to recognize red flags surrounding Holden. Testimony during the trial revealed that Holden had told his supervisors about personal and financial issues shortly before the murder and eventually began stealing credit cards and checks from elderly customers.
“For the safety of the American public, we can only hope that Charter Spectrum and its shareholders are listening,” Hamilton said.
Sources: Mysanantonio, WFAA
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