Jurors Award Rape Victim $1 Billion in Damages

[DonViejo]

Source: The Daily Beast




Hope Cheston was 14 years old when she was sexually assaulted by an armed security guard in Georgia in 2012, court records say. On Tuesday, she was awarded $1 billion in damages as part of a lawsuit against the security company that employed the guard, according to The Washington Post. Brandon Lamar Zachary, 22, was convicted of rape and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but Cheston said that the security company “never contacted her or apologized for what happened.” “It was a shocking moment; it was a beautiful moment,” Cheston said of the “history-making” sum Clayton County jurors awarded her. “It showed human kindness in its purest form.” When the trial was over, jurors reportedly came up and hugged her, saying, “You’re worth something.” Cheston’s lawyer said that they didn’t expect to collect that full sum. “What that number stands for is the most important thing,” he said. “This $1 billion isn’t just my $1 billion,” Cheston said. “This number on this sheet of paper—it’s my case, yes, but it’s all of our case.”

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[brooklynite]

1. Never going to happen...

That number will get knocked down considerably.

[DonViejo]

4. Yeah, it will be but, it doesn't matter; the jury awarded it, and that's what is important. eom

[Aristus]

5. That may be why they awarded such an enormous sum: because they knew any sum would get

pleaded down, so the plaintiff would still end up with more than if a lower number had been requested.

[former9thward]

7. No.

A company with that type of judgement is entitled to file bankruptcy and then her judgment goes into the line with any of its creditors.

[TexasTowelie]

2. I'm glad that she won her case,

but insurance premiums for the businesses in that county (and possibly the state) will go through the roof--that is if any insurance companies will write policies in Clayton County in the future.

[Sherman A1]

3. Good

It would be just tooooooooo bad if the company was bankrupted along with it's insurers.

[former9thward]

8. Its insurers can't be touched.

They would pay whatever the limit of liability the policy called for. A bankruptcy by the company means her claim would be worth a few pennies on the dollar.

[eggplant]

10. Pennies on the dollar are still tens of millions.

[former9thward]

11. The billion dollar award will never stand in court.

The judge will reduce it. If a company does not have the assets the award after bankruptcy will mean pennies, not millions

[Calista241]

12. Assuming the companies assets are worth that much.

It’s a security company, and when they file bankruptcy, all of their employees will quit. She might get some equipment, maybe some office space.

I bet she gets less than $100k.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Great that she won, but $1 Billion is just stupid nuts. I could see it some kind of class action.

No way are her damages that much.

A huge jury award is not "human kindness". It is people giving away other people's money. No sweat on the juror's part, no sacrifice from them, hence no kindness.

[robbob]

9. A billion is too much...

and at the same time not enough.

As a survivor of childhood sexual assault I can tell you nothing, repeat NOTHING, will ever give you back the innocence and trust that you have lost. It stays with you the rest of your life.