This thread is a little mistitled...the freak is a Judge.
The freak would get next to nothing in this country. He has clearly not suffered any of that loss nor has he taken any steps to mitigate what loss he did suffer. Punitive and/or aggravated damages wouldn't even be available to him here (and would yield nothing even if available).
The news story makes it pretty clear that everyone in the community (with the exception of the freak) sees this law suit for what it is....the manifestation of a seriously twisted mind. His little vendeta looks like it will cost him dearly in the end (his co-workers and whoever keeps him on the bench must all want to distance themselves from the little freak).
The defendants' offers to settle would, in this country, almost certainly cost the freak an award of costs in the defendants' favour even if he won something in the end (i.e., such an award of costs against him here would wipe out any award in his favour and the whole thing would be for nought).
The idea that he is suing each member of the family individually is appropriate if they acted as a partnership but please....that doesn't mean he gets to multiple his damages by three? What a freak!
This guy's whole law suit looks like a confession of professional incompetence and mental imbalance.
As far as I'm concerned it says nothing about the American legal system and everything about the mental state of one sad, pathetic little freak.