Man with bashed-in skull awarded £38m payout

man left with half a bashed-in skull and permanent brain damage after a bar room beating has been awarded $58 million (£38 million) by a Californian jury.
Antonio Lopez Chaj, a 43-year-old house painter, can no longer speak and requires 24-hour nursing after the attack three years ago.

His lawyers said a security guard beat Mr Chaj unconscious with a baton, repeatedly kicked him in the head and smashed his skull against a pavement four times. Part of his skull was missing when he reached the hospital.

AP

Mr Chaj faces more surgeries

Mr Chaj had been attempting to intervene after the guard, who was unlicensed and untrained, and a bartender attacked two of his relatives in April 2010.
Both attackers have gone to ground but the huge payout - one of the largest in the state's history - was made against the security company, DGSP Security and Patrol Services, on Friday.
Mr Chaj's lawyers announced the payout on Monday at a press conference alongside their client and predicted the company will appeal.
They expect him to receive a smaller sum after likely settlement negotiations.