Antonio Lopez Chaj was awarded $58 million by a jury today after a beating by a bar security guard left him with a skull his attorney described as, "like a pie with 25 percent cut out of it."

Chaj's damages award is one of the largest given to a single victim in state history. It stems from an incident in 2010 in which Chaj, his brother, and his two nephews, all of whom were house painters at the time, were attacked by a bar manager and a security guard at a mid-Wilshire spot called Barra Latina. Chaj, who'd initially stepped into the fight to try and protect his nephews, took the worst of the beating: the untrained security guard hit him repeatedly with a baton, kicked him in the head eight times, and smashed his skull into the pavement four times.

Besides the cosmetic damage, Chaj was left with significant brain damage that prevents him from speaking and demands round-the-clock nursing care. The bar manager and security guard who beat Chaj and his relatives have both disappeared since the attack.

Chaj's attorney, Federico Sayr, says he expects an appeal and settlement negotiations before DGSP Security and Patrol Services pays his client what he's owed.

[Image via AP]