Security News > 2022 > July > Charter told to pay $7.3b in damages after cable installer murders grandmother

Charter Communications must pay out $7 billion in damages after one of its Spectrum cable technicians robbed and killed an elderly woman, a jury decided Tuesday.

Thomas' family sued Charter [PDF] for negligence, claiming Holden had complained to his bosses that he was penniless and desperate after a divorce.

According to the law firm, Holden lied about his work history - such as not revealing he had been previously fired - which wasn't checked by Charter when it hired him and would have been one of many red flags against him, we're told.

In June, a Dallas County Court jury awarded the family $357 million in compensatory damages of which the US cable giant has to pay 90 percent.

"This verdict justly reflects the extensive evidence regarding the nature of the harm caused by Charter Spectrum's gross negligence and reckless misconduct. For the safety of the American public, we can only hope that Charter Spectrum and its shareholders are listening."

A spokesperson for Charter told The Register this evening it will appeal both verdicts, insisting the ISP was not at fault.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/07/27/charter_spectrum_murder_damages/