The KY Supreme Court has reinstated a damage award to the family of a teenage informant killed while working for police, but lowered the payout.
The high court on Thursday ordered the Kentucky Board of Claims to pay $148,787 to the family of LeBron Gaither of Bardstown. Gaither died in July 1996 after testifying before grand juries in Marion and Taylor counties.
The case centered on how much liability police have when an informant is killed. It is an issue that has bounced around courts across the country for years without a clear determination about whether a law enforcement officer can be held responsible. Gaither's family had initially been awarded $168,000. A trial court overturned that decision, and the Kentucky Court of Appeals agreed.