Judge makes ruling in criminal and civil case against Thomas Larkin for hit on Daniel Paille four years ago

Thomas Larkin, a former draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, must be breathing a huge sigh of relief after beating criminal charges and a civil suit over a hit four years ago that ended the career of Daniel Paille. Paille, who won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011, was never able to play hockey again after a nasty hit by Larkin while both were in the Champions Hockey League tournament in Europe back in 2017. Here's a look at the hit:


Larkin was charged with assault, while Paille filed a civil suit seeking monetary compensation. Both matters were dealt with at the same time in Swedish court. One month after the trial ended, the court released its verdict Thursday and acquitted Larkin of both the criminal charges and the civil case. Paille has been ordered to pay Larkin's legal costs, which amount to just over $200,000 USD. He also has to pay the legal costs of Mannheim, the team Larkin was playing for at the time and still plays for to this day. That's another $200,000 USD.

"All in all, there is every indication that it was a collision that Thomas Larkin could not avoid and not an intentional assault. The prosecution must be dismissed," the district court wrote in its judgment on the charge of assault


Regarding the claim for monetary damages, here's what was included in the ruling:

"In conclusion, the District Court finds that Thomas Larkin cannot be held liable for damages based on gross negligence. He had not acted with conscious negligence in the face of the risk of injury... On these grounds, and with reference to consent and the doctrine of social adequacy, Thomas Larkin cannot be held liable for ordinary negligence either. Daniel Paille had consented to participate in ice hockey games, thereby accepting in principle that he may be exposed to injuries caused by other participants during the course of the game."

Larkin's lawyer released a statement saying his client is pleased with the victory, but still sad over what happened to Paille. Paille has the opportunity to appeal the verdicts if he chooses. His legal team said it wants more time to read over the ruling before making a decision on that.

Source: AftonBladet

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