$80 Million Judgment against Iranian Govt. in Deadly Land Mine Blast

Corboy & Demetrio Managing Partner Ken Lumb, a U.S. Veteran and former Army JAG Corps attorney, obtained an $80 million judgment against the Iranian Government in a deadly land mine blast that killed a U.S. Army soldier and his injured platoon leader.

U.S. Army Sergeant (SGT) Joshua Soto, 25, died when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in a terrorist attack carried out on June 16, 2009, in Tallil, Iraq. Soto’s platoon leader, Captain (CPT) Miles M. Murray, also 25, was injured in the attack.  

On March 31, 2024, U.S. District Judge, Hon. Andrea R. Wood, granted Lumb’s request for a default judgment. The Court awarded Plaintiff Platoon Leader Miles Murray $7 million for pain and suffering and $21 million in punitive damages.

The judge awarded Plaintiff Thelma Soto, Joshua Soto’s widow, damages of $8 million and punitive damages of $24 million. She was also awarded, in her capacity as the representative of her minor son Jayden W. Soto, $5 million in damages and $15 million in punitive damages. The total award for the soldiers and the estate: $80 million.