The family of a 2-year-old boy who suffered a severe brain bleed, a traumatic brain injury, bite marks and organ and neurological damage at the hands of his stepfather was awarded $1.1 billion in damages by a Dallas County jury this week.
The verdict was returned Wednesday in the lawsuit against Charles Brooks Jr., the child’s stepfather, who is now serving a 40-year prison sentence. The boy, who is now 7, relies on a breathing machine, lives with permanent brain damage and is bedridden.
Brooks Jr. offered competing narratives to authorities about how the child sustained his injuries, claiming at various times he had fallen off the kitchen table, fell down a flight of stairs and was involved in a car accident. Brooks Jr., an unemployed trust fund beneficiary, is the great-grandson of one of the original investors of Humble Oil.
The child’s mother, Madison Ball, was represented by Tony Buzbee at trial. Buzbee told The Lawbook he was particularly interested in the case because he is from the same area as Brooks’ family. The jury awarded the exact amount of damages he requested, he said.
“I’m proud to represent victims of assault, both children and those victims of sexual assault,” Buzbee said.
The jury deliberated for a full day before awarding the family $291 million in compensatory damages and deliberated for less than 30 minutes before awarding an additional $810 million in punitive damages. Dallas County District Judge Dale Tillery presided over the case.
Brooks Jr. was arrested shortly after the incident and bonded out of jail. Soon after his release, he allegedly cut his ankle monitor and was captured at a sports bar in South Texas. Brooks pleaded guilty to injury of a child and was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2023.
Brooks Jr. was represented by Fee, Smith & Sharp partner Daniel Karp.
Colby Holler, Hall Sasnett of The Buzbee Law Firm, David Fortney of Fortney Scott and Darren Anderson of Anderson Law Firm represented Ball.
The case is Madison Ball v. Charles Edwin Brooks Jr., DC-24-09952.