Bryan Stow case: What happens when the defendents clearly are not able to pay ten's of millions of dollars in damages owed to their victim for medical care and such?

Interesting question. The media reported it that the Dodgers would actually pay $13.9 million.

Here's what one verdict report says:

Award Details: The jury found that McCourt and Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC were 25 percent at fault for the incident and that Norwood and Sanchez were each 37.5 percent at fault. It also found that Bryan Stow's damages totaled $17,914,238, including $12,564,238 in total economic damages and $5,350,000 in total non-economic damages.

Based on the liability of McCourt and Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC, the award for Stow's total non-economic damages was reduced to $1,337,500. However, McCourt and Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC, and Norwood and Sanchez were joint-and-severally liable for Stow's economic damages, so McCourt and Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC were liable for the full economic damages award. Thus, Stow's total recovery would be $13,901,738.

The key phrase here is "joint-and-severally liable". As all the defendants were joint and severally liable for the economic damages, Stow will recover the full $12,564,238 from the Dodgers. Since the Dodgers are only 25% liable, it on the Dodgers to go after the co-defendants, Norwood and Sanchez, for their 37.5% shares.

As for the non-economic damages, the defendants are not joint and severally liable. Thus, the Dodgers are on the hook for only 25% of the $5,350,000 = $1,337,500.

That comes to a grand total of $13,901,738 from the Los Angeles Dodgers to Stow.

Stow could also go after the remaining $4,012,500 from the other two defendants ($2,006,250 each) but you're right that he could have a hard time actually recovering.

/r/legaladvice Thread