After a three-year legal battle, Clallam County has been ordered to pay a sheriff’s deputy almost $28 million after his rifle unintentionally discharged and fired a live round onto his foot during a March 2020 firearms qualification.
Deputy Matthew Murphy had 10 surgeries in four years in an attempt to save a portion of his right leg, before a doctor was forced to amputate it below the knee in 2024, according to a release from Davis Law Group, which represented Murphy and his wife, Margaret Conway, in court.
A Kitsap County jury declared Clallam County's negligence to be the cause of Murphy's injuries last Thursday, assigning the county 95% of the fault and the deputy 5%.
The jury awarded Murphy over $30 million for damages, before a judge adjusted the amount on Friday. According to Davis Law Group, the case is believed to be the largest personal injury verdict in Kitsap County history.
During a mandatory firearms qualification in Port Angeles, Murphy had to move his weapon from his dominant side to his support side while performing a shooting drill. He was required to wear a three-point sling and raise the weapon over his protective earmuffs.
According to the lawsuit, instructors failed to demonstrate the shooting drill and inform Murphy about potential safety risks. Records also said the sling was “improper and unsafe” for the weapon Murphy was handling and the drill he was performing, since it could easily get tangled with hearing protection.
Murphy’s sling snagged onto his earmuffs which caused the rifle to fire a bullet, striking his foot.
The range master sergeant and instructor deputy who were present did not observe Murphy’s sling snagging onto his earmuffs and did nothing to assist him when the sling got caught, the lawsuit says.
Murphy’s co-workers testified that he was “ridiculed and humiliated by other deputies for ‘shooting himself,’” according to the release from Davis Law Group.
In 2024, Clallam County asked a jury to award Murphy nothing at all for the incident. Murphy offered to settle for $10 million.
This time around, Davis Law Group had asked for $27 million.
Davis Law Group said it expects the county to appeal the verdict.
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