A California woman who was abducted at age 11 and held for 18 years by a man who was supposed to be under parole supervision during much of that time has been offered a $20 million lawsuit settlement by the State of California. Lawmakers approved the settlement offer for the family of Jaycee Dugard to be paid out of the state's general fund.Dugard, now 30, was found last August living with convicted rapist Phillip Garrido along with two daughters he fathered.
Last February, Dugard and her daughters, 15 and 12, filed claims against the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation claiming the agency failed to do its job in properly supervising Garrido.
Although Garrido was under parole supervision from 1999 until his arrest in August 2009, parole officers never discovered the existence of Dugard and her two daughters. The lawsuit also claimed psychological, physical and emotional damage.
Years of Therapy
The settlement was mediated by retired San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Daniel Weinstein.
"The money will be used to buy the family a home, ensure privacy, pay for education, replace lost income and cover what will likely be years of therapy," Weinstein told reporters.
Garrido and his wife, Nancy, have pleaded not guilty to charges that they kidnapped and raped Dugard. No date has been set for their trial.
See Also:
$20 Million Settlement for California Captive Approved
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Missing: Jaycee Lee Dugard
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Comments
There isn’t enough money in the world to make up for what that poor girl/women went through! I wish Jaycee and her children the best in their recovery and return to life as they should have known it.
woman, not women.
Man’s inhumanity to man-(in this case a woman)-appalls me!! The state parole board was supposed to keep tabs on him, but SOMEONE DROPPED THE BALL on this one!!! I wish the best to Jaycee & her 2 daughters. May they get the help they need, to put this behind them, & get on with their lives–God Bless them!! Nancy
I feel so, so sorry for her…it is the worst thing that could happen to a child. Being taken away at such a young age, abused mentally and physically for so many years….
20 million. The state doesn’t have that kind of money. NOTHING will ever make up for what happen to her, but tax payers shouldn’t have to pay for it. 20 million could help a lot more people. Twenty million for a house, education, and therapy. No amount of therapy is going to make that right, they should offer free therapy, she doesn’t need twenty million for a house, and public schools are free. Yes she’ll need money to help her in this worth, but frankly twenty million we don’t have is too much. Not to mention we’re already paying for this horrible man and his wife to sit in jail with healthcare and three meals. Most people outside of jail don’t even have that. Sometimes I don’t know what to think anymore about this state.