West Palm Beach, FL A Florida jury in a federal civil trial today awarded $ 54.6 million to three Salvadorans who proved they were brutally tortured by Salvadoran security forces between 1979-83.
Juan Romagoza, Neriz Gonzalez and Carlos Mauricio sued two Salvadoran generals who retired to south Florida in 1989. The suit is based on two federal laws that allow torture victims to seek redress in U.S. courts, even if the offenses occurred elsewhere.
The two retired generals are José Guillermo Garcia, Salvadoran Minister of Defense and Public Security from 1979-1983, and Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova, the Director-General of the Salvadoran National Guard from 1979-1983 and subsequently Minister of Defense and Public Security.
The two retired generals are José Guillermo Garcia, Salvadoran Minister of Defense and Public Security from 1979-1983, and Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova, the Director-General of the Salvadoran National Guard from 1979-1983 and subsequently Minister of Defense and Public Security.
The 10-person jury awarded $14.6 million in compensatory damages and $40 million in punitive damages, as follows. For compensatory damages, $5 million to Juan Romagoza, $6.5 million to Neris Gonzalez, and $3.1 million to Carlos Mauricio. For punitive damages: $10 million against Garcia and $5 million against Vides Casanova to Romagoza; $10 million against Garcia and $5 million against Vides to Gonzalez; and $10 million against Vides to Mauricio.