Woman shot in Wal-Mart lot awarded $4.2 million by jury
By KATHY JEFCOATS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/10/06
A Clayton County State Court jury has awarded $4.2 million to a woman shot during a 2001 carjacking in the Riverdale Wal-Mart parking lot.
The verdict was returned Tuesday against the retail giant and the man convicted of shooting Katoria Lee, 35. Eric Deown Riggins, 22, is serving a 15-year sentence in state prison for the crime and did not answer the suit.
The defendants have 30 days to appeal the verdict.
"We're disappointed in the jury's verdict but we respect the jury system," said Wal-Mart spokesman John Simley.
"We're exploring our options, including whether or not to appeal."
Atlanta attorney Al DeCusati, who represented Wal-Mart, had not responded to voice mail messages requesting comment by late Wednesday afternoon.
Lee, an employee at the Hapeville Ford Motor Co. plant, stopped by the Riverdale Wal-Mart after work at 1:30 a.m. on March 8, 2001, to pick up party supplies. Her 9-year-old son was asleep inside her Ford Explorer, which she parked under a light pole close to the front entrance.
When she left the store, Riggins demanded her keys. Lee dropped the keys and ran, but Riggins shot her in the back with a .380-caliber handgun.
Lee was able to get her son out of the SUV before Riggins drove away.
He was caught within minutes.
In her suit, Lee complained about a lack of security at the shopping center and was able to provide a list of 398 visits by police to that store for various crimes in the 20 months leading up to her shooting.
"That should have been sufficient to put Wal-Mart on notice that crimes were being committed there," said Lance Cooper, Lee's lawyer. "Also Wal-Mart had a policy to have security patrols but chose to not put them into place at that store."
Cooper said Wal-Mart officials also destroyed a surveillance videotape of the attack after Riggins was convicted.
