Court tosses $35 million verdict for beating near Six Flags
Joshua Martin, then 19, went to Six Flags Over Georgia on July 3, 2007, to celebrate one of his friends being accepted to college.
After spending the day at Six Flags, Martin was viciously assaulted by
gang members just outside the theme park at a Cobb Community Transit bus stop. He suffered brain damage and spent seven days in a coma.
In 2013, a Cobb jury found Six Flags and four men who assaulted Martin liable for the attack. Jurors told Six Flags to pay $32.2 million in damages to Martin and his four attackers to pay $2.8 million.
But the Georgia Court of Appeals recently threw out that verdict and ordered a new trial. To read The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's story on that decision, please go here on myajc.com.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
