Family of Melissa Dorner Awarded $10M for Edgewater Murder

Last Tuesday, the family of Melissa Dorner, a 21-year-old who was raped and murdered in her Edgewater apartment, was awarded a $ 10 million verdict, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Roberto Ramirez, Dorner's killer, is currently serving a prison sentence for the murder, which occurred 7 years ago.

While the jury found that Ramirez was most accountable for the murder, it also ascribed some blame to Wilmette Real Estate and Management Co., the company managing Dorner's apartment complex, for failing to address concerns about Ramirez that had arose prior to the incident. The $ 10 million verdict has been a comfort for Dorner's family, but collecting it may be a challenge.

The Dorners' attorney highlighted many missteps Wilmette made, that if avoided, could have prevented the murder. The management company failed to notice that Ramirez had provided a false social security number on his application. Two months before the murder, another renter reported to the on-site manager that Ramirez had assaulted her. Wilmette failed to follow up on the report.
As a result, the jury assigned 90% of the liability to Ramirez and 10% to the management company. It is unlikely that the family will be able to collect from Ramirez, as he is in prison and is not thought to have any assets.
Under Illinois' joint and several liability law, a defendant found to be less than 25% at fault for the plaintiff's injuries is only severally liable for all damages, other than medical expenses. This means that, since Wilmette was only found to be 10% liable, Dorner's family will not be able to collect any of Ramirez's portion of the award from Wilmette. In other words, the Dorners will only be able to collect 10% of the award, or $ 1 million, from Wilmette.
Hopefully, the verdict will be enough of an incentive for Wilmette Real Estate and Management Co. to rethink its screening process and strengthen its security response, so that another incident like the murder of Melissa Dorner can be avoided.
Related Resources:

Find a Chicago Personal Injury Attorney (FindLaw)
$ 10 Million award in 2005 Murder of Woman in Edgewater Apartment (Chicago Tribune)
Wrongful Death (FindLaw)

The Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog

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