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Charter told to pay $7.3b in damages after cable installer murders grandmother
The Register ^ | July 27, 2022 | Chris Williams

Posted on 07/28/2022 5:20:52 AM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie

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To: Hootowl99

Or Deep State has plans for Charter...


21 posted on 07/28/2022 5:44:42 AM PDT by mewzilla (We need to repeal RCV wherever it's in use and go back to dumb voting machines.)
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To: TexasFreeper2009

I could justify a ludicrous award like this under the right circumstances. Perhaps the jury was presented evidence that the company had done a background check on the mutant and knew he was a violent criminal, but hired him anyway.


22 posted on 07/28/2022 5:45:25 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("It's midnight in Manhattan. This is no time to get cute; it's a mad dog's promenade.")
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

Just execute him!
Texas still does that.


23 posted on 07/28/2022 5:45:30 AM PDT by Guenevere (“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”)
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To: TexasFreeper2009
Only they have money. Can't sue the "Holden family." Meanwhile:
A spokesperson for Charter told The Register this evening it will appeal both verdicts, insisting the ISP was not at fault.

"Our hearts go out to Mrs Thomas' family in the wake of this senseless and tragic crime," the representative told us. a href="https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/27/charter_spectrum_murder_damages/">linky

"The responsibility for this horrible act rests solely with Mr Holden, who was not on duty, and we are grateful he is in prison for life. While we respect the jury and the justice system, we strongly disagree with the verdict and will appeal.

"The law in Texas and the facts presented at trial clearly show this crime was not foreseeable — and the plaintiffs' claims of wrongdoing by Charter are categorically false.

24 posted on 07/28/2022 5:46:29 AM PDT by aspasia
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To: Alberta's Child

Even if the company had PLANNED to kill her by burying her purposely under a mountain of old cell phones, that wouldn’t justify 7.3 BILLION.


25 posted on 07/28/2022 5:47:55 AM PDT by TexasFreeper2009
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To: TexasFreeper2009

Do you understand the concept of punitive damages?


26 posted on 07/28/2022 5:51:29 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("It's midnight in Manhattan. This is no time to get cute; it's a mad dog's promenade.")
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To: TexasFreeper2009

“I fail to see how Charter is in ANY way responsible.
And that amount? WTH!?!
like 100 times more than it should be”

You think the company should pay 73 million? Settlements these days are crazy. The woman was 83 years old, probably retired, what was her future earning potential, her social security and pension? How was the company liable? Because he was using his company uniform and van, and killed her using his Spectrum-issued gloves and utility knife? He works in other people’s housed for a living. Is the company not supposed to provide a vehicle, uniform and tools? This is insanity.


27 posted on 07/28/2022 5:54:17 AM PDT by Brooklyn Attitude (I went to bed on November 3rd 2020 and woke up in 1984.)
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

Seven billion? Billion with a ‘b’? That’s just ridiculous.


28 posted on 07/28/2022 5:57:12 AM PDT by wastedyears (The left would kill every single one of us and our families if they knew they could get away with it)
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To: Brooklyn Attitude

in the article....

“Thomas’ family sued Charter [PDF] in 2020 for negligence. It was alleged in testimony that Holden had complained to his bosses that he was penniless and desperate after a divorce. It was further alleged that he had stolen credit cards and checks from elderly Spectrum subscribers, and that the corporation turned a blind eye to a pattern of theft by its installers and technicians.

During that civil trial it was also claimed Thomas’ family was charged $58 for Holden’s service call, and continued to be billed after their grandmother’s brutal slaying to the point where her account was sent to collections.

The court heard how Holden was not working the day he killed Thomas, and went out to her home anyway to rob her. He was able to use his company keycard to access a Charter vehicle lot and drive off in one of its service vans even though he was off-duty. According to the family’s legal team, while Holden was seemingly making repairs, he tried to steal one or more of her bank cards from her purse, and murdered her when he was caught in the act. He later went on a spending spree with her funds, it was claimed.

“This was a shocking breach of faith by a company that sends workers inside millions of homes every year,” said the one of family’s trial lawyers Chris Hamilton, of Dallas-based Hamilton Wingo, in a statement.

According to the law firm, Holden lied about his employment history – such as not revealing he had been previously fired – which wasn’t checked by Charter when it hired him and would have been one of many red flags against him. During the civil trial, the court heard how Holden would break down crying at work, at one point was convinced he was a former Dallas Cowboys football player, suffered from insomnia, and was probably sleeping overnight in his Spectrum van.

It was further claimed the cable giant tried to force the lawsuit into closed-door arbitration where the results would have been secret and damages limited”

Lawyers argued successfully that this person had no business entering peoples homes and they knew it. Will they pay 7B? of course not


29 posted on 07/28/2022 6:03:21 AM PDT by GQuagmire
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To: TexasFreeper2009

I worked for a background screening company. IIRC, if the criminal commits the crime on the company dime or time, the company holds at least some responsibility. If they meet the victim on the company time/dime and go back later, I think there is still some responsibility but I can’t really remember (going back 15 years). There was a huge case in I think Florida - criminal wasn’t given a background screening and the company didn’t bother to learn of his criminal past which led to him killing a woman/girl. Been a while so things are a little fuzzy but that is why companies are so careful about background screenings.

And absolutley the company needs to have responsibility if one of their employees commits a crime while in company uniform or on the timeclock.


30 posted on 07/28/2022 6:03:51 AM PDT by Cowgirl of Justice
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To: HighSierra5

Ppl on FR are so unable to find things for themselves


31 posted on 07/28/2022 6:04:36 AM PDT by bigbob (z)
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To: HighSierra5

Charter=Time Warner/Spectrum/Bright House Networks/Road Runner...

History

Road Runner’s official logo (2007).
Time Warner Cable first launched what would become Road Runner with a 1995 market test in Elmira, New York, under the banner Southern Tier On-Line Community.[14][15] Later it became known as LineRunner[16] (a moniker subsequently employed by VoIP service[citation needed]), before Time Warner Cable adopted[when?] the Road Runner brand name.[citation needed]

Road Runner High Speed Online employed the Road Runner character from the Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures as its mascot and brand name. However, in 2012, it was rebranded as simply Time Warner Cable Internet, dropping the Road Runner branding that Time Warner Cable had to license from the now unaffiliated Warner Bros.[17] With Charter’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016, the service was rebranded as “Spectrum Internet” on September 20, 2016


32 posted on 07/28/2022 6:06:06 AM PDT by mabarker1 ( (Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress !)
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To: HighSierra5

Charter cable was swallowed up by spectrum. They were one of the most hated cable companies and known in the torrent community to throttle downloads, accusing everyone that they are downloading illegally.


33 posted on 07/28/2022 6:14:19 AM PDT by max americana (Fired leftards at work since 2008 at every election just to see them cry. I hate them all.)
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To: McGruff

but $7 billion in damages?

************

Every thing be big in Texas.


34 posted on 07/28/2022 6:25:18 AM PDT by deport
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To: GQuagmire

“He was able to use his company keycard to access a Charter vehicle lot and drive off in one of its service vans even though he was off-duty.”

Ouch.

That is how a million dollar lawsuit turns into a billion dollar lawsuit.


35 posted on 07/28/2022 6:32:26 AM PDT by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: Twotone

must pay out $7 billion


If employers are this responsible for employees to this degree, there is going to be a lot of discrimination in the future.......

or

there are not going to be business, only sole proprietors.

or

insurance companies are go to be broke and need federal assistance

or?


36 posted on 07/28/2022 6:39:15 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

Nothing to see here. Avert your eyes!


37 posted on 07/28/2022 6:43:11 AM PDT by AbolishCSEU (Amount of "child" support paid is inversely proportionate to mother's actual parenting of children)
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

Did the judge actually award this ridiculous amount, or did 12 jugheads on a jury recomend it? The article says the killer returned the next day, not on a ervice call. I don’t see the employer - who is required by the federal government to hire all types (including ex-felons) as having any responibility here. The jury hates Charter and stuck it to them. Grossly unjust verdict.


38 posted on 07/28/2022 7:00:38 AM PDT by Chewbarkah
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

What a moron. What did his ill gotten spending spree get him that he now can’t enjoy anyway. He deserves the death penalty. Poor grandma didn’t deserve her fate.


39 posted on 07/28/2022 7:43:31 AM PDT by tflabo (Truth or tyranny )
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To: aspasia

Yes it’s akin to ransom


40 posted on 07/28/2022 7:54:09 AM PDT by Vaduz ( )
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