Seems to me it should be a somber occasion. But... $$$.
Posted on 04/29/2023 10:44:59 AM PDT by simpson96
LAKE ELSINORE, CA — The stepdaughter of a former Lake Elsinore Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) elder was awarded over $2.28 billion in damages this week in a civil lawsuit, her attorney Gary A. Dordick reported. He called it the largest award for a victim of childhood sexual assault.
The victim, referred to as Jane Doe to protect her identity, claimed her stepfather sexually assaulted her from the age of 5 until she was 14 years old. She is now 41.
The jaw-dropping award, reached after three days of jury deliberations, included $836 million in general damages and $1.44 billion in punitive damages. The stepfather never appeared in court, according to Dordick.
While the LDS Church, commonly called Mormon, denied any wrongdoing, it settled out of court for $1 million.
The victim's mother also settled out of court for $200,000.
The case is one of many that was filed at the end of 2022 during the 'look-back' window, where adults were able to file civil suits against child sexual abusers years after the fact. Many recent civil cases against large organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America, the Catholic Church, SeaCoast Grace megachurch in Cypress and prominent celebrities such as boxer George Foreman were filed during a period of time known as the 'look-back' window. Victims were able to seek recompense in cases dating back decades. That look-back window closed on Dec. 31, 2022.
On Oct. 13, 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 218 into law. Authored by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, the law allowed victims of childhood sexual assault to file civil claims for damages within 22 years of reaching adulthood or within 3 years of discovering that childhood abuse caused psychological trauma into adulthood.
(snip)
According to a recent report in the Press Enterprise, the victim was first assaulted in 1987, after she joined the church. Court records show that she was a mere five years old the first time she was sexually assaulted.
The sexual assaults continued until she was 14, in 1994.
The assaults took place at both the victim's Lake Elsinore home and at church events at the local LDS Church, in which both her mother and stepfather were active, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit stated that the ongoing acts of abuse brought the victim to the "brink of suicide."
"The bishop talked about forgiveness," according to court documents, but the assaults continued even with her mother's knowledge, according to the report. The abuse continued until her stepfather's arrest, and he pleaded guilty to one count of committing lewd conducts with a child under the age of 14.
The victim just wanted her longtime abuser to be held responsible, Dordick said. "We would like to take whatever he has as a punishment."
Seems to me it should be a somber occasion. But... $$$.
How much? And against whoom, the Bishop?
That is just a ridiculous amount of money. The jury should be punished !!!
and how much does the MOTHER have to pay?
“according to court documents, but the assaults continued even with her mother’s knowledge, according to the report.”
So Alex Jones was just ‘chump change’ for the start of the abusive litigation awards ?!?
What organizations were not listed that should have been:
Congress...
Public School...
Unions...
etc. etc. etc.
Yes, an unreasonable amount of money. Who is going to be able to cough up anything close to that amount of money?
That award will never be upheld.
The jury was probably mostly younger folks, who understand the concept of money as if it’s Monopoly Money.
Brain dead Biden voters on stacked jury.
Like the verdict against OJ Simpson. These huge awards may be moral victories, but they’re worthless financially.
It says the mother settled out of court for $200,000.
She said abuse happened at the church as well as home. But it was her step father who is the perv, not because he was a church elder.
Only 200 grand
Tell me women are treated equally for the same crime
Its the same crime, she was committing the same crime at the exact same time
Plus its her own daughter
Our justice system is a freaking joke
Bingo! I used to work for hp and Intel.
Are they responsible for me??
TRUER words were never spoken.
Two thoughts come to mind... "Money Changes Everything!"... and "The LOVE of MONEY is the ROOT of EVIL"
Accessory to a crime is not the same as the crime.
She was a direct participant
The article does not say that.
It depends how you interpret this sentence.
“The assaults took place at both the victim’s Lake Elsinore home and at church events at the local LDS Church, in which both her mother and stepfather were active, the lawsuit said.”
Get serious.
They are .... lawyers.
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