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Catholic diocese settles wrongful-death lawsuit during jury selection in … – Kansas City Star

By JUDY L. THOMAS The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese has settled a wrongful-death lawsuit for $ 2.25 million with the parents of a boy who allegedly took his own life 30 years ago because of repeated sexual abuse by a Kansas City priest.

File photo Brian Teeman, 14, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in November 1983 at the family’s home in Independence.
File photo by SHANE KEYSER | The Kansas City Star Donald Teeman (from left), Jackie Teeman, Rosemary Teemanand Jon David Couzens held photos of Brian Teeman in September 2011 outside the headquarters of Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph as they announced a new civil lawsuit accusing Msgr. Thomas J. O’Brien of causing Brian Teeman’s death in 1983. A civil trial in the wrongful-death lawsuit begins Monday in Jackson County Circuit Court in Independence.

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The settlement — the largest ever for the diocese in a single priest sexual abuse lawsuit — came on Monday afternoon as jury selection was underway for the trial in Jackson County Circuit Court in Independence.
“This is one of the most significant cases we’ve ever worked on,” said Rebecca Randles, the attorney for Donald and Rosemary Teeman, who filed the lawsuit against the diocese and Monsignor Thomas J. O’Brien in 2011 after a man who served as an altar boy with their son, Brian, told them of the alleged abuse. Brian Teeman, 14, died of a gunshot wound in November 1983 at the family’s home in Independence.
“This allows everyone to put this behind them,” Randles said. “It allows closure at this point in time. And it sends a message that no matter how long ago something like this happens, there [...]

By jwj|July 9th, 2013|News|Comments Off|

Jury selection under way in BB&T wrongful death trial – Winston-Salem Journal

GREENSBORO – Jury selection has started in a wrongful death civil trial involving BB&T Corp. and a woman claiming the company destroyed cell phone records to avoid liability in a car crash that killed her daughter. The case is in Guilford Superior Court.
Leslie Page Gill filed suit last year against BB&T Insurance Services and the estate of Stuart Thomas, the father of her daughter, Emma.

Stuart Thomas, 49, and Emma Thomas, 16, died in an August 2011 wreck on Interstate 40 in Mocksville.
Thomas’ SUV slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer that had slowed down as traffic merged into the left lane. The right lane was closed. Stuart Thomas was killed instantly, and Emma Thomas, who was transported by helicopter to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, died two days later.
Gill alleges Thomas, a vice president at BB&T Insurance Services, was talking on his cellphone for work at the time of the crash.
Gill’s attorney also claims the company deleted Thomas’ emails and voicemails and sent a “wipe” order to delete all the information on his cellphone. Thomas’ widow, Andrea, has denied he was using his cellphone at the time of the crash.
BB&T has denied liability in the case.

By jwj|March 27th, 2013|News|Comments Off|