$50M verdict after a tenant was shot six times by the neighbor next door
His lawyer told the jury the owner and manager knew about the neighbor and did nothing.
Amount awarded by the jury $50M As reported. The source gives a rounded figure, not exact dollars. Escambia County Circuit Court (First Judicial Circuit) · July 2025 · Escambia County, Florida
A Pensacola jury returned a $50 million verdict against the owner and the management company of an apartment complex where a tenant was shot six times by his next-door neighbor in 2020. WEAR-TV called it one of the largest individual verdicts in the city’s history.
The neighbor, then 70, had made accusations against him that led to criminal charges, and he was cleared of all of them. She was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison in November 2022.
His lawyer argued that the complex and its manager knew of the neighbor’s mental illness and her history of false reports but did nothing to prevent the shooting. He was left with post-traumatic stress disorder and permanent injuries.
WEAR reported only the $50 million total, with no breakdown or split of fault. His lawyer said the judgment carries post-judgment interest of 10 percent, about $15,000 a day, and that collecting it could take years. We have not found a report of post-trial motions or an appeal.
Source: WEAR-TV, July 17, 2025
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Not legal advice. Southeast Verdicts reports public court outcomes and news coverage. Parties are anonymized. Amounts are as reported at the time of the verdict or settlement and may have been reduced, appealed or not collected.
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