The Maine Supreme Judicial Court, May 31, affirmed the Lincoln County Superior Court’s award of $1 million in punitive damages in the case of Tracey Neild v. Corina Durkee.
Neild sustained injuries in April 2009, during an incident in which Durkee and Earl “Buddy” Bieler murdered Rachel Grindal and cut Neild’s throat with a knife, according to a press release from attorney’s Lipman & Katz of Augusta.
The case was tried in June 2012 before Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Hjelm, with a result of more than $2.6 million in compensatory damages in addition to the $1 million in punitive damages.
The Law Court heard the appeal May 14. In their decision, the court said the trial court made all the necessary findings of fact to entitle Neild to the $1 million award and that it was not excessive, in light of Durkee’s constitutional guarantees of due process.