Man awarded $58 million after having skull bashed in bar fight

Los Angeles, Jul 4: A house painter left so badly brain damaged that he is unable to speak has been awarded $63 million by a jury after a beating at a bar left him with half his skull permanently bashed in.Antonio Lopez Chaj appeared at a news conference in Los Angeles this week with lawyers who announced the ($US58m) award handed down against a security company on Friday in Torrance Superior Court.It was among the largest damage awards ever given to one person in California, his lawyers said.They added they expect an appeal and there could be settlement negotiations before Mr Chaj even receives anything.The 43-year-old had to be supported by relatives at the news conference. When he took off a baseball cap hiding his injuries, gasps could be heard from people present.Lawyers said an unlicensed, untrained security guard beat Chaj with a baton, kicked him in the head eight times and smashed his skull against pavement four times.The security guard, Emerson Quintanilla, and the bartender-manager who sparked the attack have disappeared without a trace, he added.Sayre said the confrontation began on April 20, 2010 when Chaj, his brother and two nephews, who all worked as house painters, went to Barra Latina, a neighbourhood bar.One of the relatives got into a dispute with the bartender-manager who came after him with brass knuckles, Sayre said while Quintanilla, who was working for DGSP Security and Patrol Services, began kicking and beating members of the group.In civil courts, only nine of the 12 jurors have to agree on a verdict, the lawyer said. But this jury was unanimous in finding for the plaintiffs on all claims, and it granted the $US58 million award the plaintiffs requested.