I will cheerfully do this deal for a mere $150K a day -
lock me up, no food or water, no toilet, for four days.
BUT $5 Million a Day??! Lawyers!

And the thing that really 'gets my goat' is NO One in the DEA
office/facility will lose their Job!...nor will anyone be held
personally financially responsible -The Taxpayers will again,
foot the Bill.

http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2012/05/ ... _days.html

The big thing is that this was pre-trial, so in the legal system, he might as well have been some innocent passerby off the street.

Going without water for 4 days, you'll be basically half dead. I highly doubt you would be able to withstand it.

No water but I heard he drank his urine.

The guy's got a legit beef and I would have been happy to see him get something like $50K or even 2 to 3 times that to motivate the jailers in the future. But his extreme greed makes me want to award him some free Happy Meals coupons and a bus pass.

Not his greed...but that who's defending him!

If he were a dog instead of a man and someone from an animal control heard about it, Someone would lose their job.
P.

"But his extreme greed makes me want to award him some free Happy Meals coupons and a bus pass."

The reports that I've read say that the young man, who, you remember, was never charged with any crime, has suffered kidney failure, and will require dialysis for the foreseeable future, perhaps for the rest of his days, which will be fewer than they otherwise have been.

In addition, having a diagnosis of kidney failure on one's medical record counts as a pretty serious "pre-existing condition", and will likely disqualify him from any health insurance. He'll need an awful lot of cash to cover a lifetime of medical care, particularly if he continues to require dialysis.

I suppose coverage for a lifetime of medical bills counts as "extreme greed" these days.

I wasn't aware of the medical implications. Of course that changes the equation. I don't begrudge anyone actual damages which sounds like it would be a lot in this case. It appeared to be another case of demanding an outrageous punitive award. I was thinking of the people proven to have been unjustly imprisoned for many years who get just a fraction of the claim in this case.

The lesson of facts first and conclusion second, is one I need refreshing on periodically. Mea culpa.

Someone's ass should be really fired.

You'd think so, but it turns out that when excesses come to light, animal control are often the perpetrators.


At the risk of sounding redundant, if a punitive award isn't punitive, then it isn't punitive. The merits of this case aside, sometimes punitive is exactly what's called for.


Someone's ass should be worse than fired. But it won't be. We really need to revisit the immunities that we give to folks who are supposed to be public servants. It won't be easy and there's no simple solution, but it must be done.

I wouldn't hold my breath, though.

Yes, I also was not aware of the medical implications.

I wonder though if his kidneys shut down due to ingesting a
packet of Meth he reportedly found in his bedroll ? That
certainly would account for the visitation of "cartoon characters".

Nabbed him along with drugs,weapons and 9 other "people".

Yah I can symapthize

Fortunately here in the US guilt by association is not part of the criminal code. I could be chatting with you at a radio meet when my number comes up, and hey -- you're obviously technical, so you must be my accomplice.

I've been through the justice system a few times when I was younger. You can only play stupid to a point. Oops isnt considered a defense unless things have changed in the last 25 yrs.

Stupid is never a good idea, but fortunately for all of us it isn't a crime. Sure, reality is different, but the ideal that should be held to is that you don't need a defense -- "oops" or otherwise -- simply because you were found within ten feet of someone who's arrested.

If we were to assume his lifetime medical expenses might reach one million or more, then he has to have a Lawyer ask for 20 million, because by the time the Judge reaches a decision and the Lawyer gets his cut, he might not see one million.

It's just like the Lotteries - you have to win 10 million because the State and the IRS will take at least 7 or 8 million before you see a dime.

What's 20 years in prison for an innocent man worth then?

A lot. If it was wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time, prosecutor did his honest best, jury found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt then it is worth x.

If it was a corrupt prosecutor with manufactured evidence and questionable testimony based on giving the witness a deal in an unrelated case, then 20x.