Judge orders au pair to pay damages in death of child

A federal judge ruled that former au pair Louise Woodward must pay damages for the death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen and set a January trial date to decide the amount.

U.S. District Judge William Young on Thursday refused to set aside a default judgment against Woodward in a civil wrongful death lawsuit."Ms. Woodward is precluded from re-litigating in this case the issue of whether punitive damages are warranted. The default stands," he said.

Drs. Sunil and Deborah Eappen sued Woodward in June after the state's highest court upheld her manslaughter conviction.

Woodward was originally convicted of second-degree murder by a jury last year, but the verdict was reduced to manslaughter by the trial judge, who then set her free. In June, the Supreme Judicial Court upheld that decision and Woodward returned to England.