Judge awards Young's mother $15.6 million

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Monday, a judge awarded Michelle Young's mother $15.6 million in her wrongful death lawsuit.

In the case filed last year by mother Linda Fisher, the judge had already declared that Jason Young murdered his wife.

Michelle Young was found beaten to death in her home in November, 2006. Her then 2-year-old daughter Cassidy was found next to the body.

In civil court Monday, Fisher's attorneys asked a judge to give Fisher $36 million.

"Send some sort of message to the community that what happened here to Michelle Young is not the way to end a marriage," offered attorney Jack Michaels.

In the end, the judge decided on $3.9 million compensatory and $11.7 million punitive.

Fisher has said that any award she receives will go to granddaughter Cassidy who is about to turn 5 years old. Cassidy is the daughter of Jason and Michelle Young.

Last month, a judge awarded primary custody of Cassidy to Michelle Young's sister, Meredith Fisher. Jason Young has visitation every other weekend, during holidays, birthdays and summers.

Read more details filed in the custody documents.

Before Meredith gained custody, Cassidy had been living in western North Carolina with Jason Young.

Monday morning, the judge asked if Jason Young, or anyone representing him, was in the courtroom. No one responded. By not appearing in court for the civil suit, legal experts say Young has avoided testifying in court about his wife's death.

Jason Young has not been charged criminally for his wife's death, but in court documents, Wake County sheriff's investigators have called him their "primary" suspect.

More evidence was released last week in the case. Included in those search warrants were details about an affair Jason Young has with another woman.

Click here to read the warrants (.pdf)

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local/state, ed crump

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