Jury awards $3.8 million in suit against Middlesex County sheriff; county says it will appeal
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Summary
A member of the public raised a 2020 case that resulted in a jury verdict of $3.8 million against the county and the sheriff; county officials told the meeting the board intends to appeal and described defense arrangements but did not provide a finalized appeal filing date or total defense costs.
A member of the public raised a civil verdict involving Middlesex County and its sheriff during the public-comment portion of the commissioners’ meeting and county officials said they plan to appeal.
The attendee asked about a 2020 case, Candace Burgess v. Middlesex County and [Sheriff], and said a jury had awarded the plaintiff $3,800,000. In response, a county official said the verdict "was clearly against the weight of the evidence that was presented" and added, "The county will be vigorously processing an appeal." The official said a notice of appeal had not yet been filed because a final order had not been entered by the board.
A member of the public asked how much the county had spent defending the case; the official said that amount was not known at the time. The official also explained that the county assigns defense work to outside counsel on a rotating basis and named attorneys who had handled the matter in court. The transcript records the public questioning and the county’s responses but does not include additional details such as a finalized appeal filing, the current status of appeal documents, or an itemized accounting of defense costs.