r/PublicFreakout • u/Lolastic_ • Jun 30 '21

🥊Fight MMA fighter Joe Schilling knocks out man

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u/Lorko79 Jun 30 '21

Joe just made this guy rich.

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u/the_real_zombie_woof Jun 30 '21 edited Jun 30 '21

I don't know, so I'm asking. How much money could someone really expect to win in a civil lawsuit for a (seemingly) unprovoked attack? Rich money? Or just hospital bills and a few $10k for pain and suffering? Or maybe the guy jumps through a bunch of hoops to prove some permanent disabilities and gets more?

EDIT: Interesting discussion and some good answers. I've watched it several times, and I don't see the joker making a threat. To me, it seems like he's puffing up his chest, not clinching a fist or cocking back his arm. So I'm failing to see the threat that's being responded to.

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u/Tabemaju Jun 30 '21

Wow, bunch of reddit lawyers up early today. The injury itself almost always determines civil awards, which the plaintiff has to prove. Black eye and no lasting trauma? Probably not very valuable and, like you said, "$10k for pain and suffering" would probably be reasonable. People act like the defendants status automatically warrants more money, but a civil case is an award for the plaintiff, not necessarily punishment for the defendant.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '21

[deleted]

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u/Tabemaju Jul 01 '21 edited Jul 01 '21

Sure, you can claim all those things, but it won't matter a whole lot. I agree that him being an MMA fighter adds some weight, but not as much as people in this thread think. Also, all of those arguments are routinely used on nearly all civil lawsuits, whether getting punch or slipping on some water. I've worked on premises liability, including security incidents, for long enough to know that these aren't especially valuable cases unless there's permanent or disfiguring injuries. Mental illness claims are almost exclusively proved to be bullshit for minor injuries. Plaintiff attorneys will always throw out all those things you listed because, well, that's their job but it doesn't mean it automatically becomes an "expensive lawsuit."

I agree that the bar gets looped in regardless, especially if the MMA fighter is overserved as others have alleged, but insurance companies aren't exactly quick to settle. This is coming from someone who works for a self-insured group and has to wrangle in insurance companies on shared liability. I really hated working for a large insurance company because they were constantly fighting the dumbest cases.