Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman ordered to pay $4M wrongful death case
A judge has ordered former NFL player Shawne Merriman and three others to pay $4 million in a wrongful death lawsuit involving Kimberly Fattorini. The case stems from a 2017 incident where Fattorini died of an accidental overdose following allegations of drugging and sexual assault.
Why it matters
The ruling marks a significant legal conclusion to a high-profile case involving allegations of drug-facilitated sexual assault in the entertainment industry.
Former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman has been ordered to pay $4 million to the family of Kimberly Fattorini, a Playboy casting associate who died of an accidental overdose in 2017. The payment follows a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Fattorini’s parents, who accused the former football player of drugging and sexually assaulting their daughter before her death. Merriman has denied the allegations.According to a report by TMZ Sports, a Los Angeles judge issued the order in early October against Merriman and three other defendants - J.P. Castro, Monica Maass and Elias Wehbe. A jury had found the four defendants liable in 2025, with the latest ruling determining the payment to Fattorini’s family.Shawne Merriman faced wrongful death lawsuit after Kimberly Fattorini’s deathFattorini’s parents, DeAnn and Ferdinand Fattorini, filed the lawsuit against Merriman in 2019.
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