Md. Seeks To Block $18.5M Award In Inmate's Death
BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Maryland Attorney General's Office is asking a Baltimore judge to cancel or reduce an $18.5 million award stemming from the murder of an inmate aboard a state prison bus.
Attorneys for the state argued Monday afternoon in Baltimore Circuit Court that Judge Sylvester Cox should lower the state's total liability to $200,000. Attorneys for the family of Philip Parker Jr., who was strangled in 2005 by a fellow inmate during a ride from Hagerstown to Baltimore, argued that the jury's award to is parents and estate should stand. Cox says he'll rule in coming weeks.
Jurors found three correctional officers negligent and one grossly negligent for failing to prevent the murder and rendering little aid. The state contends that the officers are immune from liability because they're public officials.
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