KNOXVILLE (AP) — An Iowa judge says a civil trial verdict holding a man responsible for his mother’s death will stand although the man was acquitted after a criminal trial on a murder charge.
The Marion County District Court judge last week rejected Jason Carter’s request to set aside the civil verdict that ordered him to pay $10 million to his mother’s estate. His father, Bill Carter, had filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against his son, saying Jason fatally shot 68-year-old Shirley Carter in June 2015 to gain access to his parents’ assets. Jason Carter denied the allegation.
In March a jury found Jason Carter not guilty of the murder charge.
Judge Martha Mertz said in her ruling last week that the result of the criminal trial does not make the civil jury’s finding invalid.
Jason Carter’s attorney says she intends to appeal Mertz’s ruling.