Charter Communications Hit With $7 Billion in Punitive Damages for 2019 Customer Murder

Mr. Holden, who admitted to the crime and in April 2021 was sentenced to life in prison, was off duty when he murdered Mrs. Thomas, although he was wearing his uniform and using his company van.

The civil trial started in early June. A few weeks ago, the jury awarded Mrs. Thomas’s family $375 million in compensatory damages, of which Charter is responsible for 90%, according to a release from the family’s attorney. On Tuesday, the jury decided on the $7 billion in punitive damages.

“It’s a breathtaking amount of punitive damages,” said Brian Kabateck, a California lawyer. “I think the shelf life of this verdict is going to be very short.”

Mr. Kabateck pointed to a past Supreme Court case that found punitive damages shouldn’t be more than a 10-times multiplier of compensatory damages. “Oftentimes in punitive damages cases, judges are the 13th juror because they have the discretion to completely affirm a verdict or throw it out entirely. I would suspect this judge would probably take a very dim view of the size of this verdict and probably cut it down,” he said.

“Punitive damages like that are never paid—they’re always reduced,” said W.

Mark Lanier,

a Texas civil-trial lawyer. “They’re a message of how frustrated the jury was with egregious facts.”

Stamford, Conn.-based Charter, which has more than 30 million customers across its cable, broadband and mobile businesses, said it plans to appeal both verdicts.

“Our hearts go out to Mrs. Thomas’s family in the wake of this senseless and tragic crime,” a Charter spokeswoman said Tuesday. “The responsibility for this horrible act rests solely with Mr. Holden, who wasn’t 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.”

Chris Hamilton, a Hamilton Wingo LLP lawyer representing the family of Mrs. Thomas, said there was overwhelming evidence presented in the trial that showed Charter’s negligence that led to the crime. He said evidence showed Mr. Holden raised multiple red flags in the days leading up to the crime.

“The plaintiff’s claims of wrongdoing by Charter are categorically false,” the Charter spokeswoman said. She said the company did a thorough pre-employment criminal background check on Mr. Holden, which “showed no arrests, convictions or other criminal behavior. Nor did anything in Mr. Holden’s performance after he was hired suggest he was capable of the crime he committed.”

Mr. Holden, who admitted to the crime and in April 2021 was sentenced to life in prison, was off duty when he murdered Mrs. Thomas, although he was wearing his uniform and using his company van.

The civil trial started in early June. A few weeks ago, the jury awarded Mrs. Thomas’s family $375 million in compensatory damages, of which Charter is responsible for 90%, according to a release from the family’s attorney. On Tuesday, the jury decided on the $7 billion in punitive damages.

“It’s a breathtaking amount of punitive damages,” said Brian Kabateck, a California lawyer. “I think the shelf life of this verdict is going to be very short.”

Mr. Kabateck pointed to a past Supreme Court case that found punitive damages shouldn’t be more than a 10-times multiplier of compensatory damages. “Oftentimes in punitive damages cases, judges are the 13th juror because they have the discretion to completely affirm a verdict or throw it out entirely. I would suspect this judge would probably take a very dim view of the size of this verdict and probably cut it down,” he said.

“Punitive damages like that are never paid—they’re always reduced,” said W.

Mark Lanier,

a Texas civil-trial lawyer. “They’re a message of how frustrated the jury was with egregious facts.”

Stamford, Conn.-based Charter, which has more than 30 million customers across its cable, broadband and mobile businesses, said it plans to appeal both verdicts.

“Our hearts go out to Mrs. Thomas’s family in the wake of this senseless and tragic crime,” a Charter spokeswoman said Tuesday. “The responsibility for this horrible act rests solely with Mr. Holden, who wasn’t 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.”

Chris Hamilton, a Hamilton Wingo LLP lawyer representing the family of Mrs. Thomas, said there was overwhelming evidence presented in the trial that showed Charter’s negligence that led to the crime. He said evidence showed Mr. Holden raised multiple red flags in the days leading up to the crime.

“The plaintiff’s claims of wrongdoing by Charter are categorically false,” the Charter spokeswoman said. She said the company did a thorough pre-employment criminal background check on Mr. Holden, which “showed no arrests, convictions or other criminal behavior. Nor did anything in Mr. Holden’s performance after he was hired suggest he was capable of the crime he committed.”