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$56.5 Million Jury Verdict in Indiana Jail Murder
Loaded on Feb. 15, 2003
published in Prison Legal News
February, 2003, page 21
On May 9, 2002, a federal jury in Indiana awarded $56.5 million dollars in damages to the estate of a jail detainee who was beaten to death by jail guards. This is believed to be the largest jury verdict in Indiana history. On October 5, 1997, Christopher Moreland, 30, was …
Filed under:
Crime/Demographics,
Criminal Prosecution,
Prison/Jail Murders,
Excessive Force,
Guard Brutality/Beatings,
Pepper Spray/Tear Gas,
Restraints.
Location:
Indiana.
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More from this issue:
- Sex, Drugs, and Beatings at Boston Jails
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Washington Jail Settles Work Release Suit, by Lonnie Burton
- Connecticut Pays $1,850,000 in Deaths of Two Prisoners Transferred to Virginia, by John E Dannenberg
- U.S. District Court Finds Supermax Placement at Ohio Prison "Atypical and Significant Hardship", by Robert Woodman
- Third Circuit Sets High Standard for Supervisory Liability
- Ninth Circuit Upholds Sanctions Against Idaho DOC Lawyer; DOC Retaliated for Litigation
- Protecting Your Health and Safety: A Litigation Guide for Inmates, by Paul Wright
- Washington Police Scientists' Work Under Scrutiny
- Washington Jail Sued Over Conditions, by Lonnie Burton
- System Examined in Death of Washington Prisoner, by Angela Galloway
- Summer Uprisings in Three Southern Jails
- $15,555 Awarded to Beaten Pennsylvania Prisoner
- Washington DOC Settles Hep C Death Suit for $1 Million
- Boston Jail Strip Searches Unconstitutional, by John E Dannenberg
- $10 Million Settlement in Boston Strip Search Suit
- All California Prisoners Win Upgraded Medical Care, by John E Dannenberg
- Ten Percent Surcharge on New Jersey Commissary Purchases Upheld
- California Internet Mail Ban Enjoined, by John E Dannenberg
- EMSA and Nevada Jail Pay $40,000 Settlement to Quadriplegic
- Texas' Historic Ruiz Lawsuit Settled, by Donna Brorby
- $56.5 Million Jury Verdict in Indiana Jail Murder
- Conclusory Allegations held Not "Some Evidence" in Prisoner Retaliation Claim
- Prison Officials Liable for Gang Member's Murder
- Hawaii SO Notification Law Violates Due Process
- Failure to Timely Raise Exhaustion Defense Waives that Defense
- $2.5 Million Settlement, No Immunity for Indiana Jail Strip Search
- Court Orders Hospitalization for Federal Pretrial Detainee
- No Probation in Arizona Jail Drug Possession
- Jury Awards $392,000 for Failure to Protect New York Jail Prisoner
- South Carolina County Pays $276,660 for Illegal Wiretaps on Judges' Telephones
- Prisoner's Estate Survives Summary Judgment on Medical Policy Claims
- Good Time on Alaska CS Sentences Subtracted from Aggregate Sentence
- Alabama Jail Conditions Unconstitutional, County Liable, by David Reutter
- Ohio Appeals Court Upholds § 1983 Medical Care Claim
- News in Brief
- $1 Million New York Jail Beating Settlement
More from these topics:
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- Killings Inside Mississippi’s Prisons Continue Unabated But Report Prompts DOC to Reopen Investigations, Feb. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Prison/Jail Murders, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, DOJ CRIPA Actions.
- Ninth Circuit Reinstates Wheelchair-Bound Washington State Prisoner’s Suit Over Failure to Accommodate Disabilities During Transport, Feb. 1, 2026. Transportation, Excessive Force, Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Deliberate Indifference.
- Differing Judicial Outcomes for the New York Guards Who Killed Robert Brooks, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Pending Appeal/Sentencing.
- The New York Prison System’s Culture of Cruelty and Impunity, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- $404,000 Verdict for Ohio Prisoner Brutalized by Trio of Guards, Kept in Solitary for Two Years, Jan. 1, 2026. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Retaliatory Segregation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
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- Ohio Sheriff Agrees to Outside Probe in Investigation of Jailed Double Amputee’s Death, Dec. 1, 2025. Jail Misconduct, Disabled Prisoners, Restraints, Police--Excessive Force, Police/Govt Misconduct.