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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →On March 19, 2019, a federal judge ordered John McAfee to pay Gregory Faull’s estate $25,008,482.43 in a civil wrongful-death case. The award followed a default judgment on liability and a separate proceeding to determine damages. It was not a criminal conviction for murder.
What the judge ordered
U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell of the Middle District of Florida awarded the estate a total of $25,008,482.43. The amount consists of three parts:
| Award component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Noneconomic damages for harm to Faull’s daughter, Amber Eileen | $5,000,000 |
| Funeral-related expenses | $8,482.43 |
| Punitive damages | $20,000,000 |
| Total | $25,008,482.43 |
News headlines commonly round the total to $25 million. These figures are the court’s case-specific award, not a standard formula for wrongful-death claims. The court’s March 19, 2019 order explains the damages award under Florida law.
Why the case resulted in a default judgment
Faull’s estate filed its wrongful-death action on November 8, 2013. After an earlier attempt to obtain default judgment was denied, the estate sought to amend its complaint. In 2018, the Eleventh Circuit reversed the denial of permission to file a third amended complaint, concluding that the proposed allegations plausibly stated a wrongful-death claim under Florida law. That decision allowed the civil case to proceed; it did not decide criminal guilt. The 2017 district court order and the Eleventh Circuit’s 2018 decision describe those steps.
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McAfee did not answer the operative third amended complaint or otherwise appear. On November 14, 2018, the district court entered default judgment as to liability. Because the complaint did not specify the amount of damages, the court then held an evidentiary proceeding. The March 2019 order says the bench trial on damages took place on January 10, 2019. The court’s procedural history records the sequence.
Was McAfee convicted of murdering his neighbor?
No. This was a civil wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Faull’s estate, not a criminal murder prosecution. A default judgment in this case established civil liability after McAfee failed to answer the operative complaint; it was not a jury verdict or criminal sentence. The appellate court’s ruling addressed whether the proposed civil allegations were sufficient to proceed, not whether guilt had been proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The court decisions characterize the matter as a civil case.
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Gregory Faull was McAfee’s neighbor on Ambergris Caye, Belize, and the case concerned Faull’s death in November 2012. The court’s order recounts the estate’s allegations and the evidence considered at the damages proceeding. Those allegations and the civil judgment should not be presented as a criminal court’s finding that McAfee murdered Faull.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What McAfee said about paying—and what is known now
A contemporaneous report published April 3, 2019, said McAfee stated he would not pay and quoted him as saying, “I have no assets, so it is truly a mute [sic] point.” That was a reported statement by McAfee, not a court finding about his assets. The report containing the quote and its account of his stated refusal to pay do not establish what happened to the judgment afterward.
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The available reporting and court materials cited here do not establish whether the award has since been paid, collected, satisfied, or changed through later proceedings. McAfee’s 2019 statement alone cannot verify its current collection status.
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- Hardcover journal with 240 line-ruled pages (120 sheets)
- Built-in elastic closure and ribbon bookmark
- Includes an expandable inner storage pocket and a pen holder
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