Jury Awards $77M in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Addiction Treatment Center in Georgia
Nick Carusillo died when he was hit by multiple vehicles on a Georgia interstate, just days after he was abruptly discharged from an addiction treatment center. Now his parents hope a substantial jury verdict in their favor will prompt change that helps others suffering from mental illness and substance abuse.
Carusillo died on Sept. 22, 2017, and his parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2019 against the facility that released him and several people who were responsible for his care there. A jury just outside Atlanta awarded them a total of about $77 million last week — $10 million for their son’s pain and suffering, $55 million for the value of his life, $1 million in punitive damages and the remainder for attorneys’ fees and expenses.
“This verdict, for us, is validation,” Tina Carusillo told The Associated Press in a phone interview Wednesday.
