BUTTE — A Montana jury awarded $20,000 to a Whitehall homeowner after Wells Fargo seized his home by mistake in 2014.
The Montana Standard reports the Jefferson County jury delivered the verdict Thursday following about two hours of deliberations, saying the bank was negligent but it did not intentionally trespass or invade the homeowner’s privacy.
Kevin Moore was seeking $600,000 in compensatory damages, claiming the bank’s agent broke into his house, changed the locks and ransacked the place while he was in Alaska.
His attorney Frederick Sherwood declined to comment. Lawyers for Wells Fargo also declined to comment following the trial.
Wells Fargo attorney Ian McIntosh told jurors that the bank regrets the mistake, “but it was an honest mistake.” The mistake stemmed from incorrect property records.