A jury on Friday found the national Elks organization negligent in the death of a man who was shot in the parking lot at John Brown Elks Lodge No. 841 south of Charles Town in 1999.
The jury awarded $100,000 in compensatory damages and $400,000 in punitive damages to the family of Kim Flynn, deputy circuit clerk Shayna Funkhouser said. Flynn was shot in the chest and right shoulder as he left the parking lot with friends.
Flynn's father, John G. Flynn, filed a civil suit against the National Association of the International Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks alleging the organization was "negligent and reckless," resulting in the shooting.
The suit contended the Elks lodge and other defendants were responsible for keeping the lodge in safe condition, protecting Flynn from injury inflicted by other people and preventing any disturbance in the bar.
