Photo credit:Shawne Merriman/Instagram
Former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman must pay $4 million in a wrongful death lawsuit involving Kimberly Fattorini, a 30-year-old Playboy casting associate who died in July 2017.
A Los Angeles judge entered the judgment on October 5. The decision followed a jury’s finding last year that Merriman and three other defendants bore liability in the case. However, the jury cleared the nightclub defendants, including The Highlight Room, Tao Group and The Warwick.
Fattorini’s death was ruled accidental. Reports indicated that alcohol, cocaine and GHB were present in her system. Meanwhile, her parents pursued a civil lawsuit to seek accountability for their daughter’s death.
Jury holds four defendants liable
The jury found Merriman, club promoter Elias Wehbe, J.P. Castro and Monica Maass liable in the wrongful death case. Fattorini’s parents filed the lawsuit in 2019 and challenged the circumstances surrounding her death.
The case focused partly on a text message Fattorini sent to Wehbe on the night she died. Her family argued that the message raised questions about what happened before her death.
However, the court’s civil judgment does not mean authorities established criminal wrongdoing. No criminal charges were filed in connection with Fattorini’s death.
Text message features in family’s claims
According to the family’s allegations, Fattorini texted Wehbe that night: “you friend just poor’d half G in my drink.”
Her parents argued that “G” referred to GHB. They also alleged that Merriman was the friend mentioned in the message.
Merriman has denied wrongdoing. The allegations formed part of the family’s case, but readers should distinguish those claims from independently established facts.
The lawsuit proceeded through civil court, where the jury considered the claims against the defendants. The resulting judgment ordered Merriman to pay $4 million.
Kimberly Fattorini’s death prompted years of legal action
Fattorini died in July 2017, and authorities classified her death as accidental. Reports stated that toxicology findings showed alcohol, cocaine and GHB in her system.
Two years later, her parents filed their wrongful death lawsuit. Since then, the case has focused on the circumstances surrounding her death and the alleged roles of several individuals.
Civil lawsuits and criminal prosecutions follow different legal standards. Although the jury found the defendants liable in the civil case, authorities never filed criminal charges related to Fattorini’s death.
Merriman has not commented on the judgment in the report provided. The $4 million order marks a major development in the family’s years-long legal fight.
Source: Balleralert
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