The verdict by a San Francisco jury awarding $24,595 to a mugger injured by a cab driver who chased him is absurd.
It sends the wrong message at a time when there is too much apathy toward our fellow humans.
Here are the facts in the case:
Late one May night in 1989, cab driver Holden Hollom saw a man mugging a Japanese woman tourist on Market Street. Hollom, a veteran cabbie, chased the fleeing mugger, Ocie McClure, using his taxi to pin McClure against a building near Civic Center.
McClure pled guilty to the robbery and is serving a 10-year sentence in state prison. But he sued Hollom, claiming he was entitled to damages for the leg injuries he suffered because Hollom used ”excessive force.”
And the jury agreed with the mugger.
Does the verdict mean that from now on, a good Samaritan about to come to the aid of someone in distress must pause to figure out what constitutes
”excessive force”?
Three years ago, Hollom was hailed as a hero for going after the mugger. Now, he`s trying to figure out why he was penalized for doing a good deed.
Something is wrong here. The cabbie was on the side of the law. The mugger sure wasn`t.
