Family of man killed in former Cayce doctor’s home is ending lawsuit after acquittal
The family of a man who was killed in the home of a former Cayce doctor will be ending their civil lawsuit against the doctor, according to their attorney.
William Player Holland’s family will “take no further action in the (civil) case,” said attorney Tem Miles, who is also the West Columbia mayor.
Holland, a medical equipment salesman, was fatally shot in 2017 inside the home of Adam Lazzarini, a former Lexington County Medical Center surgeon. The two had spent the day together after a medical procedure that they were supposed to observe was canceled, according to court testimony. They ended up at Lazzarini’s house, where he showed Holland handguns.
In May 2018, police accused Lazzarini of shooting Holland and charged him with involuntary manslaughter. Holland’s family sued Lazzarini in a wrongful death the next month. Lazzarini declared bankruptcy after being criminally charged and sued.
The Hollands had to wait for the criminal trial and Lazzarini’s bankruptcy filing to be resolved before proceeding with the lawsuit.
At the criminal trial in March, Lazzarini’s defense attorneys convinced a jury that the shooting was an accident and that the gun could have gone off unintentionally.
The trial had an unusual ending. The jury initially found him not guilty, but when jurors were polled, one changed her verdict. After further deliberations, the juror changed her verdict back to not guilty.
While plaintiffs have won civil trials against someone found not guilty in a criminal case, the acquittal would have made the case harder for the Hollands to win.
With the announcement that the family will take no further action in the civil case, the lawsuit is essentially ended. The family had not yet formally dismissed the case as of Thursday.
Less than seven months after Holland died, Lazzarini’s wife, Vanessa Biery, died in their home. Her death was ruled to be caused by a heart condition from mixing medications. No charge was filed in her death.