News
11/27/2007 - Defense Verdict for State Employee Accused of Killing Mental Health Patient
(Montgomery)--R. Austin Huffaker, Jr. and T. Grant Sexton, Jr. successfully defended former state employee, Zerick Pritchett, in a wrongful death and Section 1983 action which was tried before the Honorable Mark E. Fuller in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. The case involved the November 27, 2001 death of Ronald Corkerin who was a mental health patient residing at the Thomasville Mental Health and Rehabilitation Center in Thomasville, Alabama. During the evening of Corkerin’s death, Pritchett was ordered by supervisory staff to monitor Corkerin’s medical condition by placing a chair in the doorway to Corkerin’s room. Corkerin died while Pritchett was monitoring Corkerin. A state medical examiner later declared Corkerin’s death a homicide by asphyxiation and blunt force trauma to the abdomen. At trial, the Plaintiff contended that Pritchett was responsible for Corkerin’s death since Pritchett was the only person who had access to Corkerin in the minutes before his death. The Plaintiff also argued that Pritchett was guilty of killing Corkerin because Pritchett asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to questioning from Plaintiff’s counsel. At trial, Pritchett, through a forensic pathologist expert, argued that Corkerin died due to an enlarged heart while taking psychotropic medications known for causing arrhythmias. The Plaintiff was represented by Kenneth Mendelsohn and David Allred. The trial of the case lasted 7 days with the jury returning its verdict in favor of Mr. Pritchett on November 15, 2007. The case was styled Wanda Verret, As Administratrix of the Estate of Ronald Corkerin v. Zerick Pritchet, et al., Case No. 2:03-cv-1231-MEF, and a summary is reported at 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69868.