He won his case, and he's "tickled to death," but John Grisham is still going back to the hobby that made him a celebrity.
The attorney turned author of "The Firm" and "The Pelican Brief" set aside work on his next novel "Runaway Jury" to try his first case in seven years.He convinced a jury Wednesday that Illinois Central Railroad was responsible for the death of brakeman John Wayne King, who was crushed between two rail cars.
The jury deliberated two hours and awarded King's widow, Barbara, $683,500.
Grisham, whose appearance drew a packed courtroom throughout the three-day civil trial, said he enjoyed taking a break from writing to handle a "David vs. Goliath" case.
"It's the biggest verdict I've ever gotten. I'm tickled to death," Grisham said. He added that the trial could become fodder for a novel someday.
While he's returning to his writing for now, he wouldn't rule out taking another case: "I might wake up 10 years from now and get tired of writing books and decide to start suing people again," he said.
King's family sued Illinois Central, claiming the railroad's negligence led to his death on Jan. 8, 1991. The family had sought $5 million.
King, 45, was trying to reattach a loose rail car to the rest of the train when the car, loaded with timber, rolled and pinned him between two cars. He died several hours later of internal injuries.
The railroad contended the accident was not its fault, arguing that King himself had failed to take steps that would have kept the car from rolling.
Barbara King said she hired Grisham before he became famous and was impressed that he stuck with the case. "He had committed himself."
She said the trial had been "very emotional."
"We've had to live it all over again. Now we can put it behind us."