((HT: AJC.com))
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Thrash signed off on a $375,000 award in a case brought by the family of Nancy Benoit, the wife of wrestler Chris Benoit. Hustler Magazine published old photos of a nude Nancy, and the judgment overturned an-almost $20 million in the initial verdict awarded to the family.
Judge Thrash said the jury award cannot exceed Georgia's cap on punitive damages.
Which sucks since what Hustler did is just flat gross...
But the HQ is reminded it's "Hustler."
And how is the punitive damage limit only $375K...???
Jus' axin'...
The photos were published after Chris Benoit killed his wife and young son before committing suicide June 25, 2007. Nancy Benoit's family sued Hustler's publisher. Their contention was that Nancy had asked the photographer to destroy the images immediately after they were shot.
Obviously, the images weren't...
And that's gross...
Again...
Here was how the WWE handled their live program on the night of the discovery of the bodies in the Benoit's suburban Atlanta home...
((HT: WWE/USA/youtube))
Showing posts with label Chris Benoit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Benoit. Show all posts
Friday, June 17, 2011
Monday, March 1, 2010
Supreme Court Allows Benoit Lawsuit To Proceed
The United States Supreme Court is allowing a lawsuit to continue against Hustler Magazine. The lawsuit is over decades-old nude photographs of Nancy Benoit that were published after she was killed by her husband, wrestler Chris Benoit.
The court turned down Hustler's appeal Monday. Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and their son before committing suicide in June of 2007.
Here's Mark Teichner's report a few days after the murder-suicide, thanks to our friends at WAGA-TV...
((HT: MyFoxAtlanta.com))
Hustler published 20-year-old nude photographs of Nancy Benoit after the time of the deaths and the subsequent investigation. Her family filed a federal lawsuit against the Larry Flynt Publishing Group, the publisher of Hustler Magazine, claiming that Nancy had asked the photographer to destroy the images immediately after they were
taken.
More when we know more...
But here's a flashback to the interview of Chris' father on ABCNews "Nightline" at the time of the investigation...
((HT: ABC))
The court turned down Hustler's appeal Monday. Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and their son before committing suicide in June of 2007.
Here's Mark Teichner's report a few days after the murder-suicide, thanks to our friends at WAGA-TV...
((HT: MyFoxAtlanta.com))
Hustler published 20-year-old nude photographs of Nancy Benoit after the time of the deaths and the subsequent investigation. Her family filed a federal lawsuit against the Larry Flynt Publishing Group, the publisher of Hustler Magazine, claiming that Nancy had asked the photographer to destroy the images immediately after they were
taken.
More when we know more...
But here's a flashback to the interview of Chris' father on ABCNews "Nightline" at the time of the investigation...
((HT: ABC))
Thursday, June 11, 2009
"Woman's" Parents File Wrongful Death Suit
((HT: AJC/Mateucci))A Carrollton doctor who prescribed drugs to professional wrestler Chris Benoit should pay for the lives of the wrestler’s deceased wife and son, the victims’ family says.
On Wednesday, the family filed a wrongful death suit in U.S. District Court against Dr. Phil Carroll Astin III and three unnamed drug distributors.
The suit claims the doctor and distributors prescribed drugs that caused Benoit to strangle his wife Nancy and smother 7-year-old son Daniel inside their Fayette County home in 2007.
Astin is now serving a 10-year prison sentence for illegally dispensing drugs.
Astin’s lawyer, Natasha Perdew Silas, could not be immediately reached for comment.
The suit claims that Astin prescribed painkillers, steroids and muscle relaxants to Benoit from June 2000 to June 23, 2007 – the day Benoit killed his family and then hanged himself.
The suit alleges that Astin has a responsibility to monitor Benoit and warn him of the side effects of the drugs. The suit also includes an affidavit by a veteran Long Island sports medicine doctor, who reviewed Benoit’s medical records.
The physician, Dr. Gary Wadler, found that Astin prescribed Benoit the medication without proper diagnosis or monitoring. The drugs ultimately caused Benoit’s “mental, physical, emotional and/or behavioral health to deteriorate to extent he killed” his family, Wadler said.
“It is my opinion, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty and medical probability, that Astin was negligent in his care and treatment of Benoit,” wrote Wadler, a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s board.
The suit seeks financial damages to cover the “full value” of the deceased lives, along with money for pain, suffering and expenses. The suit requests a jury trial.
Nancy Benoit’s parents, Maureen and Paul Toffoloni of Florida, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Newnan. The Toffoloni’s handle Nancy and Daniel Benoit’s estate.
Earlier this year, Astin pleaded guilty to writing 175 illegal prescriptions for 19 patients, including two that died of drug overdoses. Federal prosecutors argued that Astin illegally prescribed drugs such as Percocet, Oxycontin, Xanax and Lorcet to professional wrestlers who eventually became addicted to them.
Here's a great version of CBC's "The Fifth Estate" where Bob McKeown examines Stampede Wrestling and Chris Benoit...Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Benoit's Doctor Gets 10 Years
((HT: AJC))
The personal doctor to a professional wrestler who killed himself, his wife and their 7-year-old son was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday for illegally prescribing painkillers and other drugs to patients.
Dr. Phil Astin, 54, had pleaded guilty January 29 to a 175-count federal indictment. Prosecutors said Astin prescribed painkillers and other drugs to known addicts for years. They said at least two of Astin’s patients died because of his lax oversight of what medicines they were taking.
The indictment was unclear about whether Chris Benoit, a wrestler for Stamford, Conn.-based World Wrestling Entertainment, or his wife were among 19 patients included in the investigation. They were not among the two patients prosecutors said died because of Astin’s actions.
“I take full responsibility,” Astin told the judge Tuesday. “I am sorry I hurt so many lives. I was thinking that I was looking after my patients.”
U.S. District Judge Jack Camp said there was no doubt Astin tried to help hundreds of patients at his western Georgia clinic. But the judge said he could not overlook the fact that at least two patients died as a result of Astin’s misconduct.
“The fact that two people did die outweighs other conditions that I must consider,” Camp said.
A federal investigation found Astin wrote prescriptions without conducting physical exams and sometimes gave patients as many as four simultaneous prescriptions for Percocet. He also prescribed “cocktails” of drugs like Percocet, Oxycontin, Vicodin and Adderall.
“Medical doctors know that after a period of time, if the prescriptions are not working, you get them off,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Horn said during the hearing.
Investigators cited one case in which an unidentified female patient began receiving a combination of drugs that included Xanax from Astin in 2002. She died in June 2007, the same month authorities discovered the bodies of wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and son in their suburban Atlanta home.
Police said Benoit strangled his wife and son and then hanged himself. A medical examiner couldn’t say whether the steroids Astin prescribed for Benoit played a role in the deaths.
Astin’s sentence was lighter than the recommended 11 to 13 years in jail. More than 50 of the counts against Astin each carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Here's coverage from our friends at Fox5 in Atlanta...
Patty Pan has the lead...
The personal doctor to a professional wrestler who killed himself, his wife and their 7-year-old son was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday for illegally prescribing painkillers and other drugs to patients.
Dr. Phil Astin, 54, had pleaded guilty January 29 to a 175-count federal indictment. Prosecutors said Astin prescribed painkillers and other drugs to known addicts for years. They said at least two of Astin’s patients died because of his lax oversight of what medicines they were taking.
The indictment was unclear about whether Chris Benoit, a wrestler for Stamford, Conn.-based World Wrestling Entertainment, or his wife were among 19 patients included in the investigation. They were not among the two patients prosecutors said died because of Astin’s actions.
“I take full responsibility,” Astin told the judge Tuesday. “I am sorry I hurt so many lives. I was thinking that I was looking after my patients.”
U.S. District Judge Jack Camp said there was no doubt Astin tried to help hundreds of patients at his western Georgia clinic. But the judge said he could not overlook the fact that at least two patients died as a result of Astin’s misconduct.
“The fact that two people did die outweighs other conditions that I must consider,” Camp said.
A federal investigation found Astin wrote prescriptions without conducting physical exams and sometimes gave patients as many as four simultaneous prescriptions for Percocet. He also prescribed “cocktails” of drugs like Percocet, Oxycontin, Vicodin and Adderall.
“Medical doctors know that after a period of time, if the prescriptions are not working, you get them off,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Horn said during the hearing.
Investigators cited one case in which an unidentified female patient began receiving a combination of drugs that included Xanax from Astin in 2002. She died in June 2007, the same month authorities discovered the bodies of wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and son in their suburban Atlanta home.
Police said Benoit strangled his wife and son and then hanged himself. A medical examiner couldn’t say whether the steroids Astin prescribed for Benoit played a role in the deaths.
Astin’s sentence was lighter than the recommended 11 to 13 years in jail. More than 50 of the counts against Astin each carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Here's coverage from our friends at Fox5 in Atlanta...
Patty Pan has the lead...
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