This was actually a case decided in St. Louis County Circuit Court; which is typically mildly conservative. When I heard the verdict, I first assumed it was a Canadian Court, but the report continued noting it was local…it was picked up on all St. Louis media outlets. Ramage was Captain and leader of the Blues for several years and maintains his residence in the area. Ramage may well have a large umbrella policy to protect him; I would expect the car rental agency may not be on the hook for more than the minimum limits, but the loss occurred in Canada, so I don’t know how that effects the primary/excess relationship.
I was surprised at the amount of money awarded, but we do have a defendent who admits his guilt and may do jail time. It’s a very unfortunate situation.
In regards to the verdict, defense attorney Boggs argued for 2.5 million, so whatever the decision, it was going to be for what I would consider ‘allot o’ money’.
I’ve worked with Boggs, and she is considered a good defense attorney in this area…
And yes, I’d like to hear who is actually paying what amount of the verdict. I want to believe there was a great amount of insurance money available, since it appears the plaintiff family does not hold any animosity towards Ramage, but was willing to ask for a kazillion dollars.
Boggs may be good, but Grant Davis was obviously better. Cases like this are just another compelling argument for adopting the Japanese model of professional jurors who can render an objective decision without emotional attachment. They are educated people who are well paid for their services. What do we have? A jury pool of registered voters who can’t get out of serving. Any hope of getting a jury “of your peers” is strictly fantasy. Slick attorneys know how to manipulate the emotions of the average juror. Voire Dire allows them to get rid of anyone with the ability to be objective and possibly lead the jury to a decision. Our system is broken.
I’ve argued your point for years; we need professional jurors, not to be judge, but to understand the legal issues. Frankly, a jury of ‘peers’ is an invitation to an uninformed decision; look at the quality of juror who get picked. Astute attorneys will remove any juror who threatens their position whenever possible, so at best you end up with a ‘mediocre middle’ group.
Professional jurors are a must; you’ll find most criminal lawyers and plaintiff lawyers won’t like that idea, as it will take their ’emotional pleas’ out of play.
I like the idea of professional jurors too, although I’m not holding my breath waiting to see it happen.
I read that in England auto policies don’t have liability limits on them. In order to receive payment, you must prove your damages. They pay out less in BI than we do in this country.
Personally, I believe the pro-juror to be a bad idea. Eventually the attorneys will get to know the jurors the same way they know each other and the judges. They can pick and choose the jurors based on their case and the juror’s past history of decision making. Having served on a jury myself I believe true justice can be served and a jury of one’s peers is not “a joke”. It was composed of the professional to the laborer who took the resposibility seriously. I have also audited a couple of cases in a court whose judge is a friend of mine. It’s interesting how the jurists, judge and attorneys, never want to second guess a jury. Of what I’ve witnessed justice was served fairly.
Mr. Magnuson’s body may have been battered by years of abuse playing hockey. However, he was still one heck of a guy who had a lot to live for…
I was lucky to golf at a charity event, for which he was one of the hosts, in the August prior to his death. At the end of the night, I was also fortunate enough to stick around with a few guys and have some drinks with him. He told some great stories about when he played in the NHL, and it was a night I’ll never forget.
I’m not sure if he was employed by the Hawks in any capacity. However, he was clearly able to raise a lot of funds for any number of charities he was able to be involved in and/or requested to attend.
Glad to see the family is setting up a charitable organization in his name.
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I know……You’re right ….but I feel so much better now.
This was actually a case decided in St. Louis County Circuit Court; which is typically mildly conservative. When I heard the verdict, I first assumed it was a Canadian Court, but the report continued noting it was local…it was picked up on all St. Louis media outlets. Ramage was Captain and leader of the Blues for several years and maintains his residence in the area. Ramage may well have a large umbrella policy to protect him; I would expect the car rental agency may not be on the hook for more than the minimum limits, but the loss occurred in Canada, so I don’t know how that effects the primary/excess relationship.
I was surprised at the amount of money awarded, but we do have a defendent who admits his guilt and may do jail time. It’s a very unfortunate situation.
In regards to the verdict, defense attorney Boggs argued for 2.5 million, so whatever the decision, it was going to be for what I would consider ‘allot o’ money’.
I’ve worked with Boggs, and she is considered a good defense attorney in this area…
And yes, I’d like to hear who is actually paying what amount of the verdict. I want to believe there was a great amount of insurance money available, since it appears the plaintiff family does not hold any animosity towards Ramage, but was willing to ask for a kazillion dollars.
Splitting the proceeds, you think? Hmmmmm.
Boggs may be good, but Grant Davis was obviously better. Cases like this are just another compelling argument for adopting the Japanese model of professional jurors who can render an objective decision without emotional attachment. They are educated people who are well paid for their services. What do we have? A jury pool of registered voters who can’t get out of serving. Any hope of getting a jury “of your peers” is strictly fantasy. Slick attorneys know how to manipulate the emotions of the average juror. Voire Dire allows them to get rid of anyone with the ability to be objective and possibly lead the jury to a decision. Our system is broken.
Dread-Pro jurors is a great idea!
I’ve argued your point for years; we need professional jurors, not to be judge, but to understand the legal issues. Frankly, a jury of ‘peers’ is an invitation to an uninformed decision; look at the quality of juror who get picked. Astute attorneys will remove any juror who threatens their position whenever possible, so at best you end up with a ‘mediocre middle’ group.
Professional jurors are a must; you’ll find most criminal lawyers and plaintiff lawyers won’t like that idea, as it will take their ’emotional pleas’ out of play.
I like the idea of professional jurors too, although I’m not holding my breath waiting to see it happen.
I read that in England auto policies don’t have liability limits on them. In order to receive payment, you must prove your damages. They pay out less in BI than we do in this country.
Personally, I believe the pro-juror to be a bad idea. Eventually the attorneys will get to know the jurors the same way they know each other and the judges. They can pick and choose the jurors based on their case and the juror’s past history of decision making. Having served on a jury myself I believe true justice can be served and a jury of one’s peers is not “a joke”. It was composed of the professional to the laborer who took the resposibility seriously. I have also audited a couple of cases in a court whose judge is a friend of mine. It’s interesting how the jurists, judge and attorneys, never want to second guess a jury. Of what I’ve witnessed justice was served fairly.
Anyone have any idea????
This has to be one of your best posts.
Mr. Magnuson’s body may have been battered by years of abuse playing hockey. However, he was still one heck of a guy who had a lot to live for…
I was lucky to golf at a charity event, for which he was one of the hosts, in the August prior to his death. At the end of the night, I was also fortunate enough to stick around with a few guys and have some drinks with him. He told some great stories about when he played in the NHL, and it was a night I’ll never forget.
I’m not sure if he was employed by the Hawks in any capacity. However, he was clearly able to raise a lot of funds for any number of charities he was able to be involved in and/or requested to attend.
Glad to see the family is setting up a charitable organization in his name.