A jury on Friday awarded $5.7 million to a former PTA president framed by an Irvine couple, apparently enraged by a schoolyard comment, who planted drugs in her car.

The Orange County Superior Court jury deliberated for less than hour before finding that Kent Easter and his ex-wife, Jill Easter, acted with malice, oppression or fraud when they planted bags of marijuana, Vicodin and Percocet in Kelli Peters’ car in February 2011.

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Kent Easter, a Stanford-educated attorney who once worked at one of the county’s top law firms, was convicted of felony false imprisonment in 2014 and spent 87 days in jail. Jill Easter pleaded guilty to the same charge and spent about 60 days behind bars.

Kent Easter, who represented himself in the civil trial, declined comment. Jill Easter, who also represented herself, was not present in court for the verdict. Kent Easter’s law license has been suspended, while Jill Easter was disbarred.

Jury awards $5.7 million to Irvine PTA mom in drug-planting case

* As an attorney who represented “fraudsters,” Kent Easter was “trained at the shell game,” said Marcereau, who’d sought $8.5 million in damages.

* Easter said he doesn’t have the means to pay a large judgment. He is trying to get work as a legal consultant because his law license was suspended, but it’s not much and he has been living with his parents while caring for the couple’s three children, he told City News Service.

* Easter told jurors, “I never should have hurt Kelli Peters,” and he acknowledged that he would have to pay some sort of damages. “I’m not saying she was not upset, but this is not a million-dollar case,” he argued.

* He also argued he has already been punished by having to serve a six-month jail sentence, perform 100 hours of community service and by losing his law license and career. “I’ve already paid dearly,” Easter said. “I’ve lost my law license and career … and the law says you have to take that into account. … I’m not able to pay punitive damages. I’m a 41-year-old still living with my parents now. … I’ve lost everything I’ve ever had but my family and I don’t see the point of being punished further, but that’s up to your judgment.”

* The jury’s judgment? You owe Kelli Peters $5.7 million, bucko.

Kent Easter Drops Appeal of Felony Conviction so Appeals Court Dismisses Case