The [[Associated Press]] reported that the [[Sacramento County Sheriff's Department]] spokesman said no officers were investigating the death and that, "It was a contest and people are saying there was no coercion."<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 16, 2007 |title=Station fires 10 over woman's death following water-drinking contest |work=Los Angeles Times |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/la-011607water%2C0%2C5944854.story?track=mostviewed-homepage |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070118082405/http://www.latimes.com/news/la-011607water%2C0%2C5944854.story?track=mostviewed-homepage |archive-date=January 18, 2007}}</ref> However, Deborah Hoffman of [[KXTV]] reported that former prosecutor Bill Portanova commented that "the radio station has some serious liability exposure", due in part to widespread news coverage of the Matthew Carrington case two years earlier.{{r|headache}} On January 17, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that Sacramento Sheriff John McGinness had ordered homicide detectives to investigate whether a crime had been committed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Eric |date=January 18, 2007 |title=Inquiry launched in water death |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jan/18/local/me-radio18 |access-date=August 22, 2017 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924051823/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jan/18/local/me-radio18 |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 2, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office declined to press criminal charges, citing a "lack of evidence of criminal misconduct".<ref>{{Cite web |title=No Charges in Water Intoxication Death |url=http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_092204031.html |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927011803/http://cbs13.com/topstories/local_story_092204031.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |access-date=April 3, 2007 |work=KOVR}}</ref>

 

 

Shortly prior to the start of [[jury selection]] in the trial, KDND began to tease that it would be "saying goodbye" on September 8, 2009, leading to speculation that the station was planning to drop ''The End'' in favor of a different format or shut down entirely; however, it was later revealed that the campaign was actually for a new commercial-free Tuesdays promotion.<ref name="aamg-kdnd">{{Cite web |title=Jury Selection Begins in KDND Civil Lawsuit Today |url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/63485/jury-selection-begins-in-kdnd-civil-lawsuit-today |access-date=February 4, 2017 |website=All Access Media Group |archive-date=February 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204170345/http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/63485/jury-selection-begins-in-kdnd-civil-lawsuit-today |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 14, jury selection in the wrongful death case began at the [[Sacramento County Superior Court]]'s main courthouse in the city of Sacramento. Over the next month, the jury heard testimony from over 41 witnesses as 192 exhibits were entered into evidence.<ref name="Sacr091016">{{Cite news |last=Furillo |first=Andy |date=October 16, 2009 |title=Jury begins deliberations in radio contest death |page=B2 |work=The Sacramento Bee |location=Sacramento, California |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98659798/jury-begins-deliberations-in-radio-conte/ |access-date=March 29, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329213551/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98659798/jury-begins-deliberations-in-radio/ |url-status=live }}</ref><!-- Fri --> On October 29, 2009, after a week of deliberations, the jury awarded the survivors of Jennifer Strange the sum of $16,577,118 in monetary damages. Entercom Sacramento LLC was found to be 100% at fault for Strange's death while Entercom Communications was found to be 0% at fault. The jury also found that Strange was 0% at fault (that is, there was no [[contributory negligence]]) for her own death.<ref name="Sacr091030">{{Cite news |date=October 30, 2009 |title=Family in Wii case wins $16.5&nbsp;million; Local station owner found liable in death of mother of 3 |page=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98659697/ 14A] |work=The Sacramento Bee |location=Sacramento, California |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98659658/family-in-wii-case-wins-165-million-l/ |access-date=March 29, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329213552/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98659658/family-in-wii-case-wins-165-million/ |url-status=live }}</ref><!-- Fri -->