The family of a college student who was kidnapped and killed by a convicted rapist six months after his release from prison has reached a $300,000 settlement with the state of Minnesota.
The family had taken steps to seek more than $1 million in damages in a wrongful death lawsuit, arguing that state authorities were partly responsible for Dru Sjodin's death. A state Department of Corrections psychologist had decided against recommending her killer for civil commitment as he finished serving a 23-year sentence for stabbing and trying to abduct a woman.
The rest of the story
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071017/ap_on_re_us/slain_student_settlement
Do you agree the state should be held responsible? I do!
2007-10-18 10:44:56 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Yes, I feel that the state should accept some responsibility for her death. They hired the psychologist that made the decision to free him; his decision was faulty but, after 23 yrs. in prison, I can see where a person would think that the man had learned his lesson, evidently not! I think that a psychologist should consider the fact that the person has violent tendencies & can those ever be changed. My assumption is that they can never be changed, but I'm not a psychologist! No state ever wants to implicate it's self in any wrong doing on anything envolving the state, thats not new. But the fact that the state paid, says volumes, don't you think?
2007-10-18 11:03:41 · answer #1 · answered by geegee 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is a big difference between responsibility and liability. The State of Minnesota is probably immune to suit and immune from liability under it's sovereign immunity laws except to the extent that it waives such immunity. My bet is that the settlement was based on public relations and defense costs rather than likelihood of a Plaintiff's verdict.
2007-10-18 17:57:52 · answer #2 · answered by Jeff G 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, the state laws were created by people who the citizens voted for, and they were upheld in that case properly.
The criminal justice system worked and the guy is back in jail.
So the distraught family too blood money from people they agreed had no fault in the settlement? Is that supposed to help them sleep better at night?
Probably what they took constuted well under 10 years of earnings for the lady, and probably 30% of it or more will go to their attorneys and that is what they are satisfied with?
Shame on them! I hope they spend every penny of it on grief counseling, they clearly need it.
2007-10-18 18:10:29 · answer #3 · answered by Barry C 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is tragic when things like this happen. However no one can see the future. There is no way someone could have known that he was going to kill.
The family has now sold their memory of their daughter for $300,000. Sad.
2007-10-18 17:55:05 · answer #4 · answered by davidmi711 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, I do. He is an evil man, they knew he was evil, and they let him go.
2007-10-18 17:50:23 · answer #5 · answered by IJToomer 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋