$40 Million Settlement is the Largest Financial Award Judgement Issued to a Domestic Violence Survivor
“My Life is not Worthless”Family law attorneys Michael Pezzulli and Doug Mulder represented a Dallas woman who was savagely beaten and left for dead by her then-boyfriend. In April 2016, she was awarded the largest financial award judgement in US history for domestic abuse. It was the 44th highest jury verdict in the United States for 2016.
“To me, it means that man who tried to kill me and mutilated me and tortured me for five hours deemed me worthless,” Maria Escamilla, 46, told The Dallas Morning News (here). “But the jury disagreed. My life is not worthless.”
Making a Statement by Setting a Verdict Award RecordWhile the verdict is a record setter, both Ms. Escamilla and her attorneys are realistic about collecting on the judgement. Also from The Dallas Morning News interview: “It was really to send the message that Dallas County is not going to tolerate family violence anymore,” Pezzulli said. “The jury was angry.”
To read the full story about Ms. Escamilla’s experience and the $40M judgment, see the The Dallas Morning News here, or see these additional stories:
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