Nebraska State Jury Awards $ 2.64 Billion To Parents Of Disappeared College Student In Action Against Man Who Last Saw Her Alive
Tyler Thomas was a 19-year-old student at Peru State College in Peru, NE. On Dec. 3, 2010, she was seen on a security camera about 1:30 a.m. walking towards her dorm. She disappeared. Then 29-year-old student Joshua Keadle told investigators that he had picked up Thomas and they had consensual sex off-campus and he left her at a boat ramp. Keadle was subsequently convicted of rape in an unrelated case.
On or about Dec. 1, 2012, Thomas's parents, LaTanya Thomas and Kevin Semans, filed an action in the Nemaha County District Court, Nebraska against Keadle. Plaintiffs sought damages for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Tyler Thomas. LaTanya Thomas as the personal representative of Tyler Thomas' estate was later added as a plaintiff after Tyler Thomas was declared dead. Keadle did not appear, nor was he represented. Reportedly, he pled his Fifth Amendment right not to answer at a pretrial deposition. A default judgment was given on the issue of liability. Daniel E. Bryan, Jr. was the presiding judge for the court.
The action proceeded to the jury on the issue of damages. On May 4, 2016, the jury returned a verdict of $ 2.64 billion, including a punitive damage award of $2.4 billion.
EDITORS NOTE: Since Keadle is in jail, the award is not collectable, but plaintiffs' attorney notes that the award holds Keadle accountable and affirms the value of Tyler Thomas' life.
For more information on the case, Lexis Advance subscribers can view the full summary here: LaTanya Thomas, Kevin Semans, and LaTanya Thomas, personal representative of the Estate of Tyler Thomas, v. Joshua Keadle; 2016 Jury Verdicts LEXIS 3081
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