"Sonitrol owes $1 million to murder victim's child" is the headline to this story today in the Muncie StarPress. Some quotes:
MUNCIE - Sonitrol Security Systems of Muncie was partly responsible for the death of Michael Young, a 33-year-old liquor store clerk who was murdered in 1997, a Delaware Circuit Court 1 jury has ruled.Here is an AP story on the decision. Posted by Marcia Oddi at December 14, 2004 10:32 AMThe seven-member jury decided Young's child, Darian, now 10, was entitled to recover $1 million in damages from the local Sonitrol franchise.
"The alarm company essentially failed to send help when help was needed," said James Fisher, an Indianapolis attorney representing Young's mother, Ruby, and brother, Monty. * * *
Normally, the liquor store closed at midnight, at which time Young, working alone, would activate the burglar alarm. If he or another employee failed to activate the burglar alarm, Sonitrol would call the store within a half hour. If no one answered, Sonitrol would immediately call the liquor store's general manager.
On the night in question, Sonitrol didn't call the store's general manager until 3:15 a.m. to find out why the burglar alarm had not been armed at midnight.