A federal jury in Louisiana has ordered a private correctional company to pay more than $40 million to the family of a man who died from head injuries sustained while in custody. The verdict, first reported by ABC News, holds LaSalle Management Company, which operated the Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, legally responsible for his death.

The case centers on Erie Moore Sr., a 57-year-old mill worker and father of three who had no criminal record. He was arrested in October 2015 for disturbing the peace at a doughnut shop. According to court filings, Moore became agitated during his booking at the jail, and his attorney later described him as mentally unwell at the time.

Surveillance footage introduced at trial showed that guards used repeated force against Moore during his detention. His lawyer, Max Schoening, said his client was pepper-sprayed at least eight times within a 36-hour period. In one sequence of the video, Moore was restrained by multiple guards before being dropped, causing his head to hit the floor.

After the incident, Moore was taken to an area of the jail without security cameras, where he remained for nearly two hours without medical attention. The lawsuit alleged that while in this secluded space, the use of force continued and no staff called for help. When deputies from another agency arrived to transfer him, they found Moore unconscious and unresponsive. He was later taken to a hospital, already in a coma, and died approximately a month later.

The Ouachita Parish coroner ruled the death a homicide caused by head trauma. No criminal charges were filed against any of the officers involved.

The jury found LaSalle Management Company and three correctional officers liable for negligence, excessive force, and battery. Jurors awarded $23.25 million in punitive damages and $19.5 million in compensatory damages to Moore’s adult children. His family’s lawyers said they believe the verdict is among the largest in U.S. history for an in-custody death.

“This trial has shined light where there was darkness,” said Moore’s son, Erie Moore Jr. “It has brought our family truth, justice, and peace.”

LaSalle, which operates multiple detention centers in Louisiana and Texas, did not respond to requests for comment. The city of Monroe, which contracted with the facility until 2019, also declined to comment. The jail now serves as an immigration detention site under the supervision of federal authorities.

In a statement following the verdict, Schoening described the outcome as “a historic victory for civil rights” and a reminder that the life of Erie Moore Sr. “was a gift to his family and community.”

See the news clip below: