$2.4 Million Verdict
The plaintiff was a 19-year-old woman who claimed Anthony Peeler, a former University of Missouri-Columbia basketball star and current NBA player, assaulted her, bit her and held a gun to her head.
The incident happened on May 30, 1992. The plaintiff claimed that Peeler came in through the unlocked front door of her apartment, locked her in her room, pinned her to her bed, bit her and held a gun to her head. She said that as a result, she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other ailments.
The plaintiff claimed Peeler became angry when he saw her with friends at a bar earlier that evening and told her he would "smash her face into the bar" if she did not leave. The plaintiff's witnesses said they heard him threaten her. During the time the plaintiff said the attack occurred, a neighbor testified she heard the plaintiff's screams, although the plaintiff's roommates heard nothing.
The Columbia police stopped Peeler the next day and found a gun in his car. He eventually plead guilty to carrying a concealed weapon, false imprisonment and third-degree assault, and received five years probation.
Peeler claimed he bit her as part of consensual sex and that the plaintiff was jealous because he also had sexual relationships with her neighbor and other women, and because he "wasn't going to take her to the NBA." He denied that a gun was involved and claimed he plead guilty to criminal charges only to resolve the case before the NBA draft.
The verdict of $2.4 million included $300,000 in actual damages and $2.1 in punitive damages.
Type of Action: Assault
Type of Injuries: Bites, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression
Court/Case Number/Date: U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri/4:97CV1093/Aug. 31, 1998
Caption: Link v. Peeler
Judge, Jury, or ADR: Jury
Name of Judge: Charles Shaw
Special Damages Claimed: None
Verdict or Settlement: $2.4 million verdict
Allocation of Fault: N/A
Last Offer: $50,000
Last Demand: $400,000
Attorney for Plaintiff: Mary Coffey, St. Louis
Insurance Carrier: None
Plaintiff's Expert: Dr. Wayne Stillings, St. Louis
Defendant's Experts: None
September 28, 1998
