A Dallas County jury has awarded $1.1 billion in a child abuse case led by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee—a verdict his firm says is the largest of its kind in U.S. history.
The case involves Charles Edwin Brooks Jr., the great-grandson of Percy Turner, one of the original investors in Humble Oil, adding a high-profile Texas lineage to one of the most severe child abuse cases to reach a courtroom in recent years.
According to court filings, Brooks assaulted a two-year-old child in April 2021 while babysitting, leaving him with catastrophic injuries that would permanently alter his life.
The lawsuit details how the child’s mother, Madison Ball, was told her son was “non-responsive,” with Brooks claiming the child had fallen. When she saw her son over FaceTime, she realized something was wrong and called for help despite threats from Brooks, the filing states.
When paramedics arrived, they found the child severely injured, with a traumatic brain injury, brain swelling and bite marks on his legs, according to the petition.
Brooks later pleaded guilty to injury to a child and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The case, filed by the child’s parents Madison Ball and Stephen Sampson, was tried in the 134th District Court in Dallas County. The child now requires 24-hour care, relies on a breathing machine and remains unable to walk, according to court filings Jurors were asked to weigh extensive damages tied to the child’s injuries, including lifelong medical care, loss of function and quality of life, according to court documents.
The jury awarded $291 million in compensatory damages and $810 million in punitive damages to the child and his parents.
“Don’t mess with Texas children,” Buzbee said.
For Buzbee, the verdict underscores both the severity of the abuse and the scale of the care the child will require for the rest of his life.
“We claim to value children in our society. This Texas jury stepped up and showed that,” he concluded. “I hope that through this verdict this precious child gets all the care he will need and hopefully make his life as good as it can be made under the circumstances.”