Civil Suit against Florida Mogul Dismissed
In a development that seemed to surprise nobody, the wrongful-death civil suit against the founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach has been dismissed. Court papers filed by attorneys for the parents of the 23-year-old man who died after the mogul’s Bentley collided with his car, asked that the suit be dismissed “with prejudice.”
That is an indicator the suit was probably settled out of court, although neither party has confirmed it. The papers offered no hint of the terms for the dismissal, but it is generally believed that the convicted mogul agreed to pay the parents tens of millions of dollars.
As reported in an earlier blog, the Polo Club founder was recently found guilty of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in a criminal trial. The charges were enhanced because he left the scene of the accident and failed to render aid. He will be sentenced April 30 and faces up to 30 years in prison.
The attorneys representing the parents in the civil suit said that they are withholding comment about the case until after the Palm Beach mogul is sentenced. The attorney for the Polo Club founder had no comment about the settlement.
In further developments, defense attorneys for the Polo Club mogul are seeking to appeal the verdict, citing that the prosecution stoked the jury’s “wealth-bias” to unfairly gain a conviction.
A majority of wrongful death suits don’t end up in court and are settled. The wrongful death attorneys in Florida at Farah & Farah believe that these wrongful death suits shouldn’t add to the stress that already surrounds the death of a loved one. However, we will do whatever it takes to preserve your legal rights. Our compassionate and experienced team is available if you are seeking to hold a negligent party liable for the death of a loved one.
