Ray Rice: Atlanta Personal Injury Law Firm Gives Their Opinion

Many of us have seen the shocking video of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his then fiancé, now wife, in an elevator and knocking her unconscious. Because I am an Atlanta personal injury lawyer, several people have asked me about the civil issues relating to this sad event. Civil issues relate to Mr. Rice’s financial obligations to his victim, whereas criminal issues relate to how the State of New Jersey reacts by charging him with crimes. As the relationship between Mr. Rice and Ms. Palmer are obviously quite complicated, I’m not going to comment on her potential remedies in particular. Of course, I do hope they find peace and that Mr. Rice learns to control himself so as to not endanger others. Nor am I going to comment on the criminal aspect of what occurred. Instead, I’m going to take a minute to talk about assault and battery as a tort, that is as a civil wrong that can lead to a personal injury lawsuit for damages.

As a general rule, striking another person intentionally is a battery whether this is done with a fist or a bullet. (Swinging and missing is an assault.) Battery that causes injury, even in the slightest, gives rise to a lawsuit against the aggressor for both actual damages and punitive damages. Actual damages from assault and battery usually include medical bills and lost wages as well as pain and suffering. In addition, because these kinds of wrongs are usually intentional, punitive damages are also commonly imposed.

Over the last few years, Warshauer Woodward Atkins lawyers have represented several gun shot victims as well as victims of vicious beatings. One gun shot case in a bar that went to trial netted a verdict of over $10,000,000.00. It has always been quite satisfying to obtain justice for our clients while at the same making really bad people pay.