A Riverside Superior Court docket jury awarded a lady $2.28 billion Tuesday for the sexual abuse she endured for years by her stepfather, her legal professional introduced.
The 39-year-old Riverside girl, identified within the lawsuit as Jane Doe, sued for damages towards her stepfather, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and her mom, whom she stated knew in regards to the sexual abuse however did nothing to guard her, in response to a information launch by the regulation agency of Gary Dordick.
The jury awarded the lady $836 million in damages and $1.44 billion in punitive damages.
The church denied wrongdoing however settled its a part of the lawsuit for $1 million in December, and the lady’s mom settled for $200,000 in February, in response to information experiences.
The stepfather admitted to molestation and rape in a sworn deposition testimony however didn’t seem at trial.
Doe was assaulted by her stepfather from the age of 5 till she was 14; it ended when he was arrested and convicted of felony lewd acts on a minor. The abuse occurred of their house and on the property of the Mormon church, during which each Doe’s mother and father had been lively members.
In response to the lawsuit, Doe attended Mormon Sunday college and different youth packages between 1987 and 1997. Her stepfather started utilizing and manipulating church doctrines when Doe was round 5 years previous to groom the kid, in response to the lawsuit.
Throughout the time she was abused, Doe disclosed the abuse to a number of members of the Mormon church, together with a bishop. As a substitute of notifying the police, the bishop gathered Doe, her mom and her stepfather right into a joint assembly, talking about repentance and instructing Doe to forgive her stepfather and forgive the bishop.
Doe then advised one other bishop in regards to the abuse, however stated that she was shamed into silence by the opposite bishop and different counselors, who stated she would go to jail and hurt her household by disclosing the crime.
Doe stated that her mom knew that her stepfather was sexually abusing and grooming her however that her mom didn’t do something to guard her daughter and continued to share a house with him.
In 1997, Doe was in highschool in Lake Elsinore and seen her stepfather her basketball teammates “in an inappropriate approach,” in response to the lawsuit. Doe advised her basketball coach in regards to the sexual abuse and the coach reported it to a counselor. Doe’s stepfather was arrested the identical day.
He pleaded responsible to all fees and was sentenced on 55 counts, in response to the lawsuit. The stepfather spent three years in jail, in response to information experiences. Her mom and members of the Mormon church had been within the courtroom to assist Doe’s stepfather. Her mom remained married to him for two years after his conviction.
