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Jessie Simpson, who was left permanently brain-damaged after he was beaten into a coma with a baseball bat when he was 18 years old, has been awarded $6.9 million in damages.

In a Feb. 10 B.C. Supreme Court decision, Justice Dev Dley awarded $6,935,445 to Simpson but stopped short of ordering Kristopher Teichrieb to pay punitive damages.

Simpson's lawyer had argued punitive damages were necessary because Teichrieb's conduct was "so malicious, high-handed and oppressive" that damages were needed to punish him.

The Justice didn't agree.

"The defendant has been punished by a significant jail sentence," Dley said. "A monetary fine will serve no greater purpose than the impact of the lengthy jail sentence."

Teichrieb was sentenced to seven years for aggravated assault after he brutally beat Jessie Simpson, who was 18 years old when he accidentally wandered onto Teichrieb's driveway while intoxicated in 2016.

Simpson now lives in a long-term care home and will do so for the rest of his life.

"Jessie was 18 years old at the time of his injuries. He has been robbed of the ability to lead a normal life and is now unable to enjoy the amenities of life that he would reasonably have expected. He was a young man about to embark on the post-graduation challenges and experiences of life. Those are forever gone. Instead, he is now forever dependent on others to perform the basic necessities of life," reads the decision.

Much of the financial award will go towards the cost of future care which the Justice awarded $3 million for. He was also awarded $1.3 million for loss of future income earning capacity.

Other amounts were awarded for different reasons including a loss of wages for Simpson's mother who lost her job because she was caring for her son. The decision says she now works cleaning homes.

Teichrieb's attack on Simpson shocked the community when it took place during the summer of 2016.

The attack happened in the Brocklehurst neighbourhood of Kamloops where multiple crimes had taken place and Teichrieb had called police on several occasions.

At about 4 a.m. June 19, 2016, Teichrieb saw an intoxicated Simpson in his yard and confronted him. Simpson fled but Teichrieb followed him for roughly 100 metres and beat and punched him, dragging him across the street kicked him in the head and beat him with a baseball bat.

The attack left Simpson permanently brain-damaged.

"Jessie can feed himself, provided his food is cut into small bites. He has some capacity to communicate but is unable to focus or attend to most tasks unless supervised. He cannot walk and is restricted to a wheelchair. He is unable to control his bowel or bladder," the decision reads. "Jessie requires two people to assist with getting out of bed and to attend on any physical movements. He needs to be turned every two hours while in bed in order to avoid pressure sores."

The decision continues to say Simpson only has "some understanding" that he is disabled.

According to the decision, Teichrieb did not respond to defend liability in this civil case.

A recent parole board decision says Teichrieb still has a "minimal" understanding of the harm he caused.

In November 2020, he was denied full parole and day parole, but will ultimately be allowed statutory release at once two-thirds of his sentence is served.

Having spent time in custody, he was sentenced to three years and eight months in jail in October 2018.

For more stories on the case go here.

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