Los Angeles judge orders Shawne Merriman to pay $4 million
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Zambianobserver
A Los Angeles judge has ordered former American football player Shawne Merriman and three other defendants to pay $4 million to the family of Kimberly Fattorini, who died of an overdose in 2017. A jury found them liable in 2025 in the wrongful death case, according to TMZ Sports; Merriman denied the allegations.
A Los Angeles judge has ordered former NFL player Shawne Merriman to pay $4 million to the family of Kimberly Fattorini, who died of an overdose in 2017. Three other defendants, J.P. Castro, Monica Maass and Elias Wehbe, were also ordered to pay, TMZ Sports reports.
The ruling, handed down in early October according to court documents, followed a 2025 jury verdict finding all four liable in a wrongful death lawsuit. Fattorini’s parents filed the lawsuit in 2019, alleging that their daughter had been drugged and sexually assaulted before her death. Merriman, a former linebacker for the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills, denied the allegations. His lawyer called them “baseless” to TMZ Sports.
Kimberly Fattorini, 30, worked as a casting assistant for Playboy. Her death was ruled accidental; alcohol, cocaine and GHB were found in her system. The judge did not hold The Highlight Room, Tao Group or The Warwick liable for damages.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
