Radio industry websites are reporting that the $16 million judgment in the wrongful death trial involving Jennifer Strange, the Sacramento mother of three who died as a result of a water drinking contest at Entercom Sacramento's radio station KDND, will be paid in full by the company's insurer, and no appeal will be filed in the case. In related news, Entercom Communications 2008 Annual Report states that petitions to deny the licenses of all of six Entercom Sacramento radio stations are pending at the FCC, and that licenses of other stations are under challenge due to listener complaints. Entercom's Report notes that should the FCC conclude that programming broadcast by their stations w

After nine days of intense deliberations, a jury of seven men and five women today rendered a verdict against a local Sacramento radio station in the civil trial of William A. Strange et al v. Entercom Sacramento LLC and Entercom Communications Inc. et al. The trial was to determine accountability for the death of Jennifer Strange, who died as a result of a water drinking contest sponsored by Entercom Sacramento's radio station KDND. By unanimous vote, the jury decided that Entercom Sacramento was negligent in Strange's death; by unanimous vote, they also decided that the parent company, Entercom Communications of Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania was not responsible. By a vote of ten to two, the

The closing arguments in the case of William Strange et al vs Entercom not only summed up the case for the jury, but presented them with guidelines for determining compensation should they find Entercom liable for the water drinking death stemming from KDND's January 2007 "Hold Your Wii to Win a Nintendo Wii" radio contest. Sacramento Bee reporter Andy Furillo and KOVR CBS 13 reporter David Begnaud reported that plaintiiff attorney Roger Dreyer is seeking more than $24 million, and plaintiff attorney Harvey Levine is seeking an additional $12 million. They report that Defense attorney Don Carlson told the jury $4.5 million would be more appropriate compensation. But those broad numbers d

Roger Dreyer began the morning by reminding the jury what this trial is all about: Jennifer Strange. While I have focused heavily on the corporate aspects of the trial, I think it a good time to reflect on the woman at the core of this trial, Jennifer. By all accounts, she was much loved and respected. Here was a single mother, who gave birth to her elder son Keegan when she was just seventeen, who focused her life on that little boy. She exhibited remarkable maturity for a girl her age, and she sheparded her son into the GATE program for gifted children. She attended every parents teacher conference, she spearheaded activities at her son's school, and dhe became good friends with her

Defense attorney Don Carlson, who represents Entercom Sacramento and Entercom Communications Inc., called his first witness to the stand this morning. Stephany Fiore, Forensic Pathologist for the Sacramento County Coroner's office had conducted the autopsy on Jennifer Strange. Fiore testified that while she had done a couple of autopsies with cases of hyponatremia, she had never done a case of acute water intoxication. She testified that in her research, she discovered 18 cases of people who died from water intoxication, and that 15 of those cases involved people who were severe psychotics; the other three were either marathon runners or military trainees. Under questioning from Plainti