CLEVELAND — The jury in a wrongful death lawsuit found that Catholic Charities Corporation is 8% responsible in connection to the death of 5-year-old Jordan Rodriguez.
A jury deliberated for roughly nine hours before coming back with their decision just before 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
In September 2017, Rodriguez died. His body was discovered buried in the backyard of his mother’s house three months later. The 5-year-old was developmentally disabled and could not speak. When the little boy died, he was starving and had broken bones, according to authorities.
His mother and her boyfriend plead guilty to several charges, including involuntary manslaughter.
Catholic Charities employee Nancy Caraballo was assigned to Jordan’s case. She was supposed to be checking in on the boy. But instead, she was taking thousands of dollars in bribes involving a food stamp scheme in return for keeping quiet and falsifying reports that claimed she was doing in person visits with Rodriguez. She pleaded guilty in connection to the case.
The wrongful death lawsuit was seeking $81 million.
Catholic Charities Corporation is required to pay $960,000. The jury will be back in court next Tuesday to decide punitive damages.
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