Pa. jury awards $95M to families who claimed loved ones died at hands of serial killer nurse

Pa. jury awards $95M in case of killer nurse

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A jury on Thursday awarded $95 million in damages to the families of eight people who claimed their loved ones were among dozens of patients murdered by a nurse considered to be one of the most prolific killers the U.S. health care industry has ever seen.

Lehigh County jurors deliberated three hours in the wrongful death suit against nurse Charles Cullen, who is already serving a life sentence in New Jersey after admitting he killed 29 people at hospitals there and in Pennsylvania.

Cullen has told authorities he killed as many as 40 people but has not been charged in the deaths of the patients named in the civil suit. All eight died at St. Luke’s Hospital in Fountain Hill, where Cullen worked from 2000 to 2002.

County Judge Edward Reibman had ruled earlier that Cullen was responsible for the eight deaths after the nurse failed to respond to the lawsuit and did not mount a defense.

The three-day trial was to determine what damages, if any, should be awarded.

The damages will allow the families to collect if Cullen ever sells his story for a book or movie, said plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Altemose. The 50-year-old Cullen has said in court documents that he’s broke.

The biggest share of the award — $18 million — will go to the family of Debra Shachter, who died at 41 and left behind a husband and three daughters.