A trilogy of civil trials involving the multimillion-dollar estate of convicted murderer Fred Keller reached resolution this season with his son, 13-year-old Fred "Fredchen" Keller Jr., receiving the largest settlement of $30 million.
Also included in the global settlement was $5.5 million for shooting victim Wolfgang Keil and $4.8 million for the estate of Rosemarie Keller.
Circuit Judge Edward Garrison approved the settlement at a hearing Thursday following an affirmative recommendation by a court-appointed guardian ad litem representing Fredchen's interests.
Fred Keller was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the Nov. 10, 2003, shooting death of his ex-wife, Rosemarie "Rose" Keller, and the wounding of her brother, Keil.
Keller, 73, of Palm Beach, died of leukemia Aug. 25, less than two weeks before a restitution hearing at which he stood to lose his multimillion-dollar fortune to his victims.
Keller was serving a life sentence at the time of his death.
Keil filed a personal injury lawsuit, the estate of Rosemarie Keller filed a wrongful death lawsuit and Fredchen Keller filed a lawsuit seeking damages for the loss of his mother.
Garrison presided over all three civil trials as well as Keller's criminal trial.
Keil, who was shot twice at point-blank range, was seeking $33.5 million for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. Keil witnessed Keller gun down his sister.
A six-person jury awarded Keil much less? $3.16 million, following seven days of testimony.
In the second case, the estate of Rosemarie Keller reached a settlement among the parties of $6.4 million before the trial ended.
In the third and final trial, parties in all three trials reached a global settlement minutes before a jury delivered its verdict in Fredchen's trial. The jury would have awarded the boy $40 million, but because the agreement among the parties was reached beforehand, the $30 million figure stands.
The settlement also amended the monies received by Keil, which upped his amount to $5.5 million. Rosemarie's estate — her four siblings and mother — receive $4.8 million under the global settlement instead of the earlier $6.4 million.
Other court news
* Five young women have filed civil lawsuits, alleging part-time Palm Beacher Jeffrey Epstein sexually assaulted them — when they were minors — at his El Bravo Way home.
Four filed federal lawsuits and one is filed in state court.
All the lawsuits contain similar allegations: that Epstein recruited underage girls through a Palm Beach Community College student to come to his Palm Beach home and give him massages. Epstein, 55, "would then perform one or more lewd, lascivious and sexual acts" and pay the girls $200 to $300, the lawsuits state.
Epstein's attorneys have denied the allegations.
* Also pending in state court is a felony charge of solicitation of prostitution arising from the same alleged incidents with several girls. That case is set for trial July 8, unless the state and Epstein come to terms on a plea agreement before then.
* Part-time Palm Beacher John E. Nicolo, 75, and his wife, Constance Roeder, 63, are defendants in a nearly two-month-long federal criminal trial involving an alleged kickback scheme. The trial is taking place in Rochester, N.Y., because the alleged scheme took place in Greece, N.Y. The jury began deliberations last week.
Nicolo is charged with conspiracy, money laundering, mail fraud and wire fraud. Roeder is charged, along with her husband, of filing false tax returns.
Prosecutors say Nicolo, a property appraiser, and co-defendant David Finnman, a former executive for Eastman Kodak Co., conspired with Greece, N.Y., Assessor Charles A. Schwab to deflate the value of Kodak's properties and cut the company's taxes in exchange for kickbacks.
* Melissa Legare, a former pantry cook at the Everglades Club, filed a lawsuit against the exclusive club in February, alleging the club's negligent security and hiring practices led to her rape by another employee.
She also alleges the discriminatory acts practiced by the club led to an atmosphere of hostility and violence, which she says precipitated her attack.
Legare was raped by a co-worker April 2, 2006, in her dormitory room at the club. Esdras Cardona, an illegal resident from Guatemala, was convicted of the rape last year and is serving a 20-year sentence.
* The mother of a man who died trying to save children being pulled into the ocean by rip currents filed a lawsuit against the Four Seasons Resort, alleging the hotel was negligent in failing to warn guests about the possibility of deadly rip currents.
Giancarlo "J.C." Squicimari, 31, drowned last May. A guest of the hotel, Squicimari jumped into the ocean with another man to rescue two children who were caught in a rip current. The other man and the two children survived.
