An heir to an oil fortune has been ordered to pay over $1 billion in damages after a brutal attack that left his two-year-old stepson permanently disabled.
Charles Edwin Brooks Jr., a descendant of a prominent Humble Oil investor, was held accountable for the severe injuries he inflicted on young Blake Sampson.
During the violent assault in 2021, Sampson suffered significant head trauma, brain swelling, and bite marks on his legs.
In 2023, Brooks was found guilty of the assault and received a 40-year prison sentence.
This week, a Texas jury awarded approximately $291 million in compensatory damages and an additional $810 million in punitive damages after a lawsuit was filed by Madison Ball, the child’s mother.
According to her legal representatives, this judgment marks the largest child abuse verdict ever recorded in the United States.
Brooks was previously married to Ball and was babysitting Sampson on April 22, 2021, when he carried out the heinous attack.
Hours later, he called Ball claiming the boy was ‘non-responsive,’ initially suggesting he had fallen.
A Dallas County jury awarded about $1.1 billion to Blake Sampson in what attorneys say is the largest child abuse verdict in US history after the youngster was savagely beaten by his step father. Blake is seen with mom, Madison Ball
Charles Edwin Brooks Jr., 32, was babysitting his two-year-old stepson Blake in 2021 when he attacked him
Paramedics found Blake with severe head trauma, brain swelling, and bite marks on his legs. Blake was rushed to Medical City Dallas and placed in a medically induced coma on a ventilator
Ball asked to see her son over FaceTime and was shown her son lying unclothed and barely breathing.
Despite her insistence that he call for help, court records state Brooks refused to, so Ball dialed 911 herself.
When paramedics arrived, they found Blake in a devastating condition with severe head trauma, brain swelling, extensive bruising across his body, and adult bite marks on his legs.
He was rushed to Medical City Dallas, placed on a ventilator and put into a medically induced coma as doctors fought to save his life.
Medical evidence presented in court showed Blake suffered a traumatic brain injury affecting multiple critical areas of the brain, along with retinal hemorrhaging, chronic respiratory failure, and a seizure disorder.
Today, Blake, who is now seven, requires constant around-the-clock care. He relies on a breathing machine, uses a tracheostomy tube and cannot walk.
The lawsuit detailed the profound, permanent impact on every aspect of his life, which formed the basis for the massive damages awarded.
In the aftermath of the attack, Brooks gave varying explanations for what had happened, according to court documents, at times claiming the child fell from a table, down stairs, or had been in a car accident.
Blake Sampson is seen with his father Steven Sampson in a 2021 photo
There was extensive bruising across his body including adult bite marks on his legs
Brooks pleaded guilty to first-degree felony injury to a child and is serving a 40-year prison sentence
He later pleaded guilty in August 2023 to first-degree felony injury to a child and is now serving a 40-year prison sentence.
The civil case, brought by Ball and Blake’s father, Stephen Sampson, was tried in the 134th District Court in Dallas County.
The jury’s compensatory award included tens of millions for future medical care, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and physical suffering. Additional damages were awarded to both parents.
In the punitive phase, jurors imposed hundreds of millions more in exemplary damages, reflecting the severity of the abuse.
Lead attorney Tony Buzbee, whose Houston-based firm represented the family, framed the verdict as a statement about protecting children.
‘We claim to value children in our society. This Texas jury stepped up and showed that,’ Buzbee said.
‘Don’t mess with Texas children. I hope that through this verdict this precious child gets all the care he will need and hopefully make his life as good as it can be made under the circumstances.’
In a post to Facebook, Buzbee explained why the jury found Brooks guilty.
‘Because the jury saw, and felt, and heard about the child, Blake Sampson. They saw the bloody pictures from the duplex where he was beaten, where he was pinched and bitten. Where he was essentially tortured.
Blake Sampson’s parents, Madison Ball and Stephen Sampson, filed the civil lawsuit on his behalf seeking damages for the life-altering injuries he suffered in the 2021 attack
Little Blake was a happy and sweet young child before he was brutally attacked by his step dad
Blake is now confined to a wheelchair and cannot walk as a result of the vicious assault
‘They saw blood on the counter, and the floor, and on Blake’s diapers, and the blood splatter on the mirror and the toilet, and the doors and walls.
‘They saw the blood on Brooks’ trust documents for the trust he relied upon for support. The jury saw the video of the first responders. And they met the precious, beautiful, miracle of a child, Blake Sampson,’ Buzbee said.
Darren Anderson, who represented Blake’s father, said: ‘This verdict reflects the strength of our client’s case and the unwavering commitment to pursuing justice.’
Brooks is the great-grandson of Percy Turner, an early investor in Humble Oil, tying him to a prominent Texas oil lineage.
Attorneys for the family have indicated they believe Brooks has access to substantial financial resources, including a trust, and intend to pursue collection of the judgment to fund Blake’s lifelong care.
The Daily Mail reached out to Brooks’s lawyer for comment.
