A Placer County jury has awarded $15.8 million to the widow of a retired California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer who was killed in a motorcycle crash involving Phil Oates, a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings.
Miranda Flores, the widow of Patrick Seamus Mulderrig, received the verdict after a jury found Oates responsible for her husband's death. Mulderrig, 59, was killed in the collision that occurred in Granite Bay in May 2024.
"I am so thankful to this jury for understanding and recognizing how remarkable my husband Patrick was and the depth of my loss," Flores told KCRA 3. "Patrick impacted our families and my life every day. I hope Phil Oates now fully understands what his actions have cost our families."
Flores described the profound impact of her husband's death, stating, "Now I feel like just a piece of a person. I wake up and try my best to breathe and pretend like I am living, because I know he would want me to be okay. I didn’t just lose my sweet Patrick that day. I lost the life we were supposed to have. I lost all of our todays — and every tomorrow that should have been ours."
According to a police report obtained by Flores, Mulderrig was driving along Douglas Boulevard when Oates, driving a Cadillac, turned left. Oates told police that he saw the motorcycle changing lanes as he began to pull onto the roadway from a turn area and accelerated. He subsequently realized the motorcycle was traveling faster than he had anticipated, and the two vehicles collided shortly thereafter.
Oates was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash. Police referred Oates to the district attorney for possible citation and manslaughter charges following the incident, but the district attorney's office did not file a case or cite Oates.
Roger Dreyer, an attorney representing Flores, emphasized the importance of accountability. "This has always been a case about accountability and responsibility," Dreyer said in a statement, according to KCRA 3. "Patrick was a remarkable husband who loved and lived for his wife and others. The fact that all 12 jurors reached the same conclusion speaks volumes. We deeply appreciate this jury recognizing the extraordinary depth of Miranda’s loss and what Patrick meant to her."
Dreyer added that while the district attorney's office did not prosecute or cite Oates, the civil justice system was still able to hold him accountable.
Oates declined to comment when reached by The California Post.