A young man who was left with permanent brain damage after several men fell upon him at Six Flags may collect the $32.2 million judgment awarded him by a civil jury against the amusement park, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday.
In Martin v. Six Flags over Georgia, the high court reversed the state Court of Appeals, which had thrown out the jury award and ordered a new trial.
Joshua Martin, 19, his brother and a friend had gone to Six Flags on July 3, 2007, to celebrate the friend’s admission to college.
As they waited on a guard rail for a Cobb Community Transit bus after 9 p.m. that night, they noted the approach of a “ganglike” group of nearly 40 young men who were dressed similarly and talking about a fight, according to the court’s summary of the case.
The group included several seasonal employees of Six Flags, according to the court.
Six Flags argued that it was not liable for damages because the beating did not take place on its property. The court disagreed.
In a statement Monday, Six Flags said, “We do not comment on litigation. We wish Mr. Martin and his family well.”
