KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — A Knoxville businessman who fired 13 shots into a Blount County man in 2009 to ensure he died must pay surviving family members more than $2 million, a Knox County Circuit Court jury has decided.
Jurors returned their verdict last week at the conclusion of a civil trial before Judge Deborah Stevens. They found that Troy Whiteside should pay Sudderth's relatives $55,000 in compensatory damages and $2 million in punitive damages.
Whiteside, 50, pleaded guilty in 2015 to voluntary manslaughter in the killing of Sudderth, 43.
He's an inmate at Bledsoe County Correctional Complex with a prison term set to end in 2034; he's eligible for parole consideration in December 2020, records show.
Whiteside was known in local political circles for his government connections and campaign donations.
Lawyer Herbert S. Moncier represented the Sudderth family. Gregory P. Isaacs represented Whiteside.
Isaacs long argued that Whiteside acted in self-defense. He and Sudderth had been involved in a long-running feud when Whiteside shot Sudderth in an East Knoxville parking lot in August 2009.
Authorities said Whiteside fired a total of 14 shots with a Glock 19 pistol at Sudderth, 13 of which hit him in the back and side.
Previous court testimony showed Whiteside fired some of the shots while standing over Sudderth.
Prosecutors said just prior to the shooting Whiteside was "engaged in gambling activities inside (an East Knoxville) store" before the two "exchanged words."
Jurors agreed on compensatory damages April 2 and punitive damages April 4, records show.
