No monetary damages for Ducks GM Bob Murray in chair-tossing trial, despite jurors’ desires
Last week, a jury heard details about an alleged chair-throwing incident in May 2009 at Joe Louis Arena between Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray and Rachel Paris, then a stage manager for a rights-holding broadcaster in Detroit. It occurred after a Game 7 win by the Detroit Red Wings against the Ducks, with Paris claiming injuries from the incident cost her the job, as well as her house and car.
At the time, Murray acknowledged that an "accident" had occurred. That's how the jury saw it, too. But according to the Detroit Free Press, Murray won't have to ante up any monetary damages to Paris due to a technicality:
Jurors told the Free Press they wanted to award damages to Paris because they thought she was injured in the incident. But they said they couldn't do that without first concluding that Murray had intentionally assaulted Paris. They said many of the jurors felt her injuries were the result of an accident, not an assault.
Paris' lawyers, Mayer Morganroth and Daniel Harold of Birmingham, said they were handicapped by decisions made by Paris' previous lawyer, who withdrew from the case late last year. They said he failed to include a negligence count in the lawsuit, which would have enabled the jury to award damages to Paris even if they disagreed about whether Murray assaulted her.
"What lawyer doesn't put a negligence claim in a lawsuit like this?" Morganroth said.
Guess we know now.
For the record, Murray said his "accident" with Paris wasn't a fit of rage but rather that "he merely pushed aside two heavy chairs in the narrow press box in his rush to get to the team dressing room to console his players about the loss to the Wings," according to the Free Press.
And what GM wouldn't abuse press box furniture in a mad dash to tell Corey Perry that everything will be alright a full two years after he won the Stanley Cup? Poor kid ...
