Kari Nelson Lawsuit: Verdict, Collection, and Criminal Case

Kari Nelson’s lawsuit ended in September 2024 with an Oregon jury awarding the family of her late husband, Freddy Nelson Jr., $21.25 million against the security company, property manager, and armed guard responsible for his death in a Portland Lowe’s parking lot. The verdict came more than three years after Logan Gimbel, a Cornerstone Security Group guard, shot Freddy Nelson through the windshield of his truck on May 29, 2021.¹

What Happened in the Parking Lot

Freddy and Kari Nelson had driven to the Delta Park shopping center in North Portland to pick up wooden pallets and buy materials for a remodeling project.² The center, which includes a Lowe’s Home Improvement, was managed by TMT Development and patrolled by armed Cornerstone guards.³

Gimbel, then 30, confronted the couple. He pepper-sprayed both Freddy and Kari, then shot Freddy through the truck’s windshield while he sat inside.⁴ Gimbel was not certified to carry a firearm as a security guard under Oregon law.⁵ The complaint later alleged that Cornerstone’s leadership had instructed its guards to harass, follow, and intimidate the Nelsons whenever they came onto the property.²

Who Kari Nelson Sued

On October 19, 2021, Kari Nelson and Kiono Nelson, acting as personal representative of Freddy Nelson Jr.’s estate, filed a wrongful death suit in Multnomah County Circuit Court seeking $25 million. The case, numbered 21CV40742, named TMT Development Co. and D. Park Corporation as the property owners, Matthew Cady, Jeffrey James, and T.J. Lathrom doing business as Cornerstone Security Group, and Logan Gimbel individually. The claims were negligence, wrongful death, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.⁶

The family was represented by Tom D’Amore, Amy Bruning, and Ben Turner of D’Amore Law Group.¹ Lowe’s was initially a defendant but settled before trial.⁷

The Trial and Verdict

The civil trial ran two weeks in September 2024 before Circuit Judge Leslie Bottomly, with a jury of nine men and three women.⁸ Plaintiff’s counsel argued that TMT and Cornerstone had created a culture of violence, pointing to what they described as TMT’s overly aggressive “zero tolerance policy” and Cornerstone’s failure to properly train or certify its guards.³ TMT’s attorney Sharon Collier said her client had been deceived by Cornerstone about guard certification and had a legitimate need for security. Cornerstone’s attorney CJ Martin said the evidence of an aggressive culture was flimsy.

The jury returned $21.25 million for the Nelson family. That figure was $20 million in compensatory damages plus $1.25 million in punitive damages against Cornerstone and its representatives.³ The jury allocated 80% of liability to TMT Development on a negligence theory, found Cornerstone and Gimbel’s conduct reckless,⁹ and assigned 10% to Lowe’s despite its pretrial settlement.⁷

Tom D’Amore said after the verdict that the decision “holds TMT Development and Cornerstone Security accountable for fostering a culture of violence that directly led to the tragic and needless shooting of Freddy Nelson Jr.”¹

Whether the Family Can Collect

A parallel federal case has narrowed the pool of money available to satisfy the judgment. In January 2023, Artisan and Truckers Casualty Company, a Progressive affiliate, filed a declaratory judgment action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, arguing it had no obligation to cover the Cornerstone defendants under their commercial auto policy.¹⁰

The court had earlier found the insurer had a duty to defend Cornerstone in the Nelson case. But in September 2025, it granted the insurer summary judgment on indemnification, ruling that Gimbel’s actions were intentional criminal acts unrelated to the operation of any vehicle and fell outside the policy. The practical effect: Cornerstone’s auto insurer is not on the hook for the $21.25 million. As of late 2025, the court had ordered the parties to file a status report on any remaining issues.¹¹

The Guard’s Criminal Case

Gimbel was prosecuted separately and did not appear at the civil trial. A Multnomah County grand jury indicted him on second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and unlawful use of mace.¹² After a trial from April 25 to May 8, 2023 before Judge Christopher Marshall, a jury convicted him of second-degree murder with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, and two counts of unlawful use of mace in the second degree, and acquitted him of one count of recklessly endangering another person.¹³ On May 23, 2023, Judge Marshall sentenced him under Oregon’s Measure 11 to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.⁴

1
KOIN. Freddy Nelson Jr. Wrongful Death Lawsuit Jury Verdict
2
OPB. Family of Man Killed by Portland Security Guard Files $25 Million Lawsuit
3
CVN. Nelson v. TMT Development Co., et al.
4
KPTV. Private Security Guard Who Shot Man Outside Lowe’s in Portland Gets Life in Prison
5
OPB. Portland Oregon Armed Security Guard Police Work
6
Scribd. Security Guard Fatal Shooting Lawsuit
7
CVN Blog. $21.25M Awarded Over Fatal Shooting in Lowe’s Parking Lot
8
The Oregonian. Finger-Pointing Abounds in Civil Trial Over Fatal Shooting by Portland Guard
9
D’Amore Law Group. D’Amore Law Group Secures $21M Verdict for Family in Wrongful Death Case
10
GovInfo. Artisan and Truckers Casualty Company v. TMT Development Co., Case No. 3:23-cv-00014-AN
11
GovInfo. Artisan and Truckers Casualty Company v. TMT Development Co., Partial Summary Judgment
12
KTVL. Mother of Unlicensed Security Guard Accused of Murder Says More to Story
13
Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. DA Mike Schmidt Announces Guilty Verdict for Private Security Guard Who Shot and Killed a Civilian