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On January 6, 2003, an intruder broke into the home of Lidia Giangrandi and brutally murdered her in her bedroom. Lidia Giangrandi lived in a gated community that was patrolled be the 50 State Security Service Inc. company. It was the early morning hours. The intruder entered through the bedroom window. It took 8 long years for a jury to award the estate of Lidia Giangrandi $4.78 million dollars on September 13, 2011. There are many aspects of this case that both sides argued. It’s interesting to revisit this case.
The estate of Lidia Giangrandi maintained that the security force of 50 State Security Service Inc. failed to maintain a regular patrol of Mrs. Giangrandi’s neighborhood. They claim the security company failed to perform their contracted duties. Had 50 State Security Service Inc. performed its duty in the manner they were supposed to, the intruder would not have had enough time to break into the home of Lidia Giangrandi. If the security firm had done its patrols as expected, the intruder would have been deterred.
On the other hand, the security company denied any failure in carrying out their contracted duties. The security company claimed the single road into the complex was guarded at all times and the perpetrator entered the community via a path that was ungated. 50 State Security Service Inc. even called in an FBI agent that was retired to give an expert opinion about the suspect, stating there would have been no way to deter him from murdering Mrs. Giangrandi. 50 State also claimed the alarm company whose system protected the house was at fault and Mrs. Giangrandi herself was at fault for leaving her bathroom window opened.
The result of the trial was that the jury found both the security company and the alarm company responsible. Mrs. Giangrandi’s three surviving daughters were awarded the $4.78 million for considerable pain and suffering. It was also found that Lidia Giangrandi was not at fault.
Even though a jury finds in the favor of someone and issues an award, the case may not be over. As in this case, 50 State Security Service Inc. appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied. The convicted murder was granted a new trial due to an impartial juror who admitted to having been the victim of a burglary when she was eight years old.