Spectrum Vehicles van. | Image: Charter Communications
A judge slashed a $7 billion ruling down to closer to $1.15 billion in the case of an 83-year-old woman who was stabbed to death by a Charter technician in 2019. Dallas County Court Judge Juan Renteria did not specify why he reduced the amount in his decision (pdf). The company says it will appeal.
According to lawyers for the family of Betty Jo McClain Thomas, the massive award was assigned by a jury in July for two reasons: “systemic safety failures that led to the robbery and stabbing death of an 83-year-old woman by a cable repairman and for using forged documents to try to keep a jury from hearing the lawsuit.”
Jurors found Charter Spectrum tried to use a forged document to force the case into arbitration
Charter submitted a terms…