×
You have 2 more free articles available this month. Subscribe today.
Alaska Pays Victims of Prisoner-Orchestrated Mail Bomb $2.6 Million
Following a verdict for the plaintiffs in December 1995, the State of
Alaska agreed to settle with the victims of a prisoner-orchestrated mail
bomb for $2.6 million.
On September 17, 1991, plaintiffs, the father and stepmother of a witness
who testified against prisoners in the Alaska Department of Corrections,
opened a package apparently intended for their son. The package exploded,
killing the witness' father, a 44-year-old postal worker, and severely
injuring his stepmother, 33. The stepmother was hospitalized in intensive
care for more than a month. She claimed a lost sense of smell and taste, a
destroyed airway, 3000 shrapnel wounds and partial permanent vision loss.
The plaintiffs contended the prisoners against whom their son testified
conspired with persons on the outside to design, build and mail the bomb.
The plaintiffs further contended the bomb was designed on paper in the
prison; two bomb switches had been smuggled into the prison; and that
prison officials never listened to three recorded phone calls in which the
prisoners discussed the bombing in veiled conversations.
At trial plaintiffs were awarded $11,800,000 with a finding that prison
officials were 12% at fault in the bombing (comparative fault of the
prisoners was 88%). The Department of Corrections subsequently settled for
$2,600,000. The plaintiffs were represented by William M. Bankston and Jon
T. Givens of the Anchorage law firm Bankston & McCollum. See: Kerr v. State
of Alaska, Third Judicial District, Case No. 3AN-93-06531.
Alaska agreed to settle with the victims of a prisoner-orchestrated mail
bomb for $2.6 million.
On September 17, 1991, plaintiffs, the father and stepmother of a witness
who testified against prisoners in the Alaska Department of Corrections,
opened a package apparently intended for their son. The package exploded,
killing the witness' father, a 44-year-old postal worker, and severely
injuring his stepmother, 33. The stepmother was hospitalized in intensive
care for more than a month. She claimed a lost sense of smell and taste, a
destroyed airway, 3000 shrapnel wounds and partial permanent vision loss.
The plaintiffs contended the prisoners against whom their son testified
conspired with persons on the outside to design, build and mail the bomb.
The plaintiffs further contended the bomb was designed on paper in the
prison; two bomb switches had been smuggled into the prison; and that
prison officials never listened to three recorded phone calls in which the
prisoners discussed the bombing in veiled conversations.
At trial plaintiffs were awarded $11,800,000 with a finding that prison
officials were 12% at fault in the bombing (comparative fault of the
prisoners was 88%). The Department of Corrections subsequently settled for
$2,600,000. The plaintiffs were represented by William M. Bankston and Jon
T. Givens of the Anchorage law firm Bankston & McCollum. See: Kerr v. State
of Alaska, Third Judicial District, Case No. 3AN-93-06531.
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
Related legal case
Kerr v. State of Alaska
| Year | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Cite | Third Judicial District, Case No. 3AN-93-06531 |
| Level | State Trial Court |
| Conclusion | Settlement |
| Attorney Fees | 0 |
| Damages | $2,600,000.00 |
| Injunction Status | N/A |
no case text