Mason Thompson
Former NFL Player Shawne Merriman Ordered to Compensate $4 Million in Playboy Employee Death Lawsuit
Published
Former NFL player Shawne Merriman has been mandated to pay a substantial sum in a wrongful death lawsuit regarding a Playboy employee who tragically passed away from an overdose, according to reports from TMZ.
Legal documents obtained by TMZ reveal that a Los Angeles judge has issued a judgment of $4 million against Merriman and three co-defendants earlier this month, linked to the 2017 fatal incident involving Kimberly Fattorini.
This ruling follows a jury’s decision last year, which found Merriman and the other defendants liable for the wrongful death, resulting in a substantial damages award to Kimberly’s parents, DeAnn and Ferdinand Fattorini.
As previously reported by TMZ, Kimberly’s parents initiated a lawsuit against Merriman in 2019, alleging that he drugged their daughter and potentially sexually assaulted her before she fatally overdosed after a night of partying.
The lawsuit claimed that Kimberly had messaged a club promoter, stating that a friend of Merriman had slipped GHB—a substance often associated with date rape—into her drink. The coroner ruled her death as accidental, with a combination of alcohol, cocaine, and GHB present in her system.
Merriman has consistently denied any wrongdoing. His representative informed TMZ that the allegations were unfounded and that prior investigations by law enforcement found no evidence to support the claims against him.
The recent judgment holds Merriman, along with co-defendants J.P. Castro, Monica Maass, and Elias Wehbe, responsible for the $4 million compensation awarded to Kimberly’s family.
The judge ruled in favor of the defendants associated with the nightclub, including The Highlight Room, Tao Group, and The Warwick, absolving them of any financial responsibility to Kimberly’s family.
This judgment was officially recorded on October 5, marking over nine years since Kimberly’s tragic passing.
Sophie Langley
Troy Sanders
