Jury awards $31.3 million for family
October 7, 2015
A federal jury returned a verdict Tuesday, October 6, 2015 against officials from the Department of Child Services and an Indiana State Police detective. Attorneys Richard Waples, Ron Waicukauski, Kevin Tankersley and Heather Kirkwood represented Roman and Lynette Finnegan and their children in the nearly three week trial held in the Hammond division of the U.S. Court, Northern District of Indiana. The plaintiffs are the surviving family members of 14-year old Jessica Salyer who died in 2005 as a result of a medication error. Department of Child Services suspected foul play, removed the couple’s children from the home, accused the parents of contributing to Jessica’s death, and caused criminal charges to be filed. Even after the prescription error was uncovered, DCS ignored evidence and continued to keep the children in foster care. The actions of the defendants devastated the family. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury awarded compensatory damages on First, Fourth and 14th Amendment violations involving the Finnegans and their children.