By Alan Sorensen
A Havre jury last week awarded a man who claimed to be a battered and abused husband more than $14,000 for his pain, suffering and emotional distress.
Thomas Phillip Buell, was sued for divorce in December 1996 by his wife, Carolyn M. Buell, aka Carolyn Halverson, now of Glasgow. Their divorce was granted on June 1, 1998.
Buell brought his counter suit against his wife during the divorce proceedings, saying that he had suffered physical and mental abuse at her hands for three years. According to court documents, Buell said that he had been unable to work at his job on the railroad on doctors orders since Oct. 10, 1996.
Among the conditions Buell claimed to suffer from were depression, shock, anxiety, anhedonia, dysthymia, and post traumatic stress disorder. He also claimed physical injuries at Carolyn Buells hands.
The civil trial began Monday morning, court records show, and concluded shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday.
In reaching its decision, the jury found that Carolyn Buell had abused Thomas Buell. It awarded him $14,250 for pain, suffering and emotional distress, but awarded him $0 for medical costs, $0 for lost wages, $0 for loss of established course of life, and refused to award punitive damages.
