Summary:
- A jury awarded St. Luke's over $52 million in damages in a lawsuit against Ammon Bundy and Diego Rodriguez.
- The lawsuit resulted from Bundy and Rodriguez's claims of a kidnapping and led to protests and threats against St. Luke's health system.
- Bundy and Rodriguez failed to offer any defense during the trial, leading to a default judgment.
- St. Luke's plans to pursue all legal means to collect the awarded damages despite the defendants' attempts to hide their assets.
- Civil arrest warrants for Bundy and Rodriguez are still in effect for alleged intimidation of witnesses.
A jury has awarded St. Luke's health system more than $52 million in damages after a lawsuit against Ammon Bundy, his campaign for governor, and Diego Rodriguez. The lawsuit stems from Bundy and Rodriguez's claim that Rodriguez's grandson was kidnapped by Child Protective Services and St. Luke's medical staff in March 2022, leading to protests, doxxing, and threats against the hospital staff.
During the trial, both Bundy and Rodriguez failed to offer any defense, resulting in a default judgment in April. The jury awarded $26.5 million in compensatory damages for economic losses and emotional distress, and an additional $26 million in punitive damages. St. Luke's attorney, Eric Stidham, emphasized that the lawsuit aimed to expose the reality of the orchestrated attacks against the health system by Bundy and his associates.
Despite the verdict, the legal battle is not over. St. Luke's plans to pursue all legal means to collect the awarded damages, even if the defendants attempt to hide their assets. Civil arrest warrants for contempt of court are still in effect for both Bundy and Rodriguez, and further legal actions may unfold.