$28.6 Million Civil Judgment Upheld for Farren's Wife

A $28.6 million civil judgement was upheld against former White House lawyer and New Canaan resident J. Michael Farren, who was criminally convicted of beating his ex-wife close to death.

Farren was previously a lawyer for the White House under the Bush administration. He was found guilty of attempted murder for the 2010 assault.

Farren assaulted his ex-wife with a metal flashlight after she served him divorce papers. He beat her into unconsciousness and when she came to he started hitting her again and strangling her with his bare hands. The assault left her with a broken jaw, broken nose, lacerations and temporarily blind.

Related: Jury: Former White House Lawyer Michael Farren Guilty of Attempted Murder

Police were alerted to the assault after a panic alarm was activated at his Wahackme Road residence and a neighbor called 911.

Farren argued he should get a new trial because he was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital during the civil case, according to the Connecticut Law Tribune.

The civil suit had a number of delays over four years. Farren emailed a court officer on a Sunday Dec 8 to say he was in Hartford Hospital for treatment. The officer replied the next day and said to send a letter from a physician. That wasn’t done Monday and the judge considered a default motion overnight and granted it the next day.

A letter came in Dec. 11 from a physician saying that Farren was admitted to the hospital on Dec. 8.

Read the full Law Tribune report here.