Opinion ID: 1689141
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Plaintiff Randy Cox

Text: ¶ 21. Cox was the driver of the pickup, who was traveling to inspect the land leased by his brother, Lester Cox. Cox testified that Whitten fired a gun several times at his truck. He testified that he heard a bullet pass by the open window of the truck. Cox also testified that Whitten threatened to throw him handcuffed into Buzzard Bayou to see if he could swim, threatened to harm him physically, actually shot a tire out on his truck, held a gun to his head, pulled his cap down over his face, made him lie face down on the ground, and said that he ought to kill him. Cox then testified how he was led by armed men with semi-automatic weapons to a building where he was detained for an extended period of time during which he did not feel free to leave. As already noted, many of these contentions were disputed by Whitten, but they were before the jury and the jury judged their veracity, apparently crediting Cox's account. Cox described how the incident that Sunday afternoon placed him in an immediate state of shock. Cox also testified that the incident had changed him, he said he felt demeaned as a result of the incident, had suffered marital problems, and that these changes in him had played a big part in his divorce from his wife. His brother, Lester Cox, testified that since the incident, this emotional distress caused Randy Cox to lose around thirty pounds.