Appellate judges uphold $7.5 million jury award against Spokane County
Appellate judges have upheld a $7.5 million jury award against Spokane County in a case involving a woman who was left paralyzed from the chest down in a motorcycle crash that occurred in 2011.
Attorneys representing Spokane County appealed that jury’s award, but three judges from the Division III Court of Appeals on Thursday affirmed the earlier verdict, which was reached in 2017.
The jury had awarded $12.5 million to Madelynn M. Tapken but found that Spokane County was only 60% at fault for the condition of the roadway where the collision occurred. As a result, Tapken’s award was $7.5 million.
“In this second appeal, Spokane County assigns errors to trial court rulings,” Judge George Fearing wrote for the appeals court. “We affirm all rulings except a ruling allowing Conrad Malinak to recover medical expenses.”
Read more: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/jun/16/appellate-judges-uphold-75-million-jury-award-agai/
