News

McDonald’s ordered to pay $27M in teens’ death trial

July 31, 2014

On Wednesday, a Texas jury awarded a $27 million verdict against McDonald's after finding that lax security at one of the chain's restaurants contributed to the deaths of two Texas teenagers in 2012.

According to a news release, Blinn College students Denton James Ward, 18, of Flower Mound, and Lauren Bailey Crisp, 19, of Dripping Springs, died in the early morning of Feb. 18, 2012, after stopping with another couple at a McDonald's location in College Station. While walking through the McDonald's parking lot, Ward and a friend were attacked by a group of people. While in transport to a hospital, the car Ward, Crisp and friends were traveling in crashed with a pickup truck. Crisp was killed in the accident.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Ward died in the parking lot after the fight. Witnesses said the group that attacked them included 15 to 20 people.

In its defense, however, McDonald’s argued that Ward died in the car accident and claimed it wasn’t responsible for the teens’ safety.

College Station, Texas, Police officers testified they regularly were called to the McDonald’s location to break up fights and disperse unsupervised crowds numbering in the hundreds between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. on weekends.

However, two former managers who were working at the same McDonald's that night testified they were unaware of any problems, the release said.

The teens’ families brought forth the lawsuit against McDonald’s for not providing better security at the location. According to trial evidence, police were called more than 20 times to break up fights at the restaurant in the year leading up to the deaths.

Prosecution argued that, despite this history, McDonald’s didn’t hire security personnel or install security cameras.

"We hope this verdict sends a powerful message to McDonald's and other companies that protecting customers is more important than late-night revenue," the teens’ attorney Chris Hamilton said in the release. "The night these two kids died, this was a dangerous location, and McDonald's knew it. Yet they did nothing to prevent their senseless deaths."

The $27 million verdict handed down in the 361st District Court of Judge Steve Smith is for damages.