MILLIONS IN DAMAGES GIVEN LUSTER VICTIM.Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer One of three women drugged, raped and videotaped by Max Factor heir Andrew Luster was awarded $19 million in damages Friday by a judge sending an ``uncompromising message'' to predators using the date rape drug date rape drug Public health A popular name for Rohypnol, which is 10-fold more potent than Valium as a sedative hypnotic; its notoriety derives from its alleged ability to ↓ inhibitions and defenses in ♀, helping the female's partner make unwanted sexual advances GHB GHB abbr. gamma-hydroxybutyrate GHB 1 Gamma-hydroxybutyrate, γ-hydroxy-butyrate See GABA 2 Glycosylated hemoglobin, see there GHb Glycosylated hemoglobin, see there . Ventura Superior Court Judge Frederick Bysshe awarded $9 million in compensatory damages A sum of money awarded in a civil action by a court to indemnify a person for the particular loss, detriment, or injury suffered as a result of the unlawful conduct of another. and $10 million in punitive damages Monetary compensation awarded to an injured party that goes beyond that which is necessary to compensate the individual for losses and that is intended to punish the wrongdoer. to the victim, known in court only as Shawna Doe. ``Because the facts of this case are so perverse, so unconscionable Unusually harsh and shocking to the conscience; that which is so grossly unfair that a court will proscribe it. When a court uses the word unconscionable to describe conduct, it means that the conduct does not conform to the dictates of conscience. and so despicable, the court is impelled im·pel tr.v. im·pelled, im·pel·ling, im·pels 1. To urge to action through moral pressure; drive: I was impelled by events to take a stand. 2. To drive forward; propel. to award a very significant sum in punitive damages,'' Bysshe said in a three-page ruling. It was unclear whether Luster, who is serving a 124-year prison term after months as a fugitive, has the money to pay the award. Barry Novack, Doe's attorney, hailed the decision but admitted that Luster - once said to be worth millions - may have had assets transferred to others or used them to pay legal fees and fund his months on the run. ``No amount of money in the world can get rid of the scarring, the emotional scarring, left on my client,'' Novack said. In his ruling, Bysshe likened Doe's suffering to a ``Greek tragedy,'' noting her humiliation and pain as jurors viewed explicit videotape of Luster raping her while she was unconscious and then experienced portions of the tape aired on the nationally syndicated ``48 Hours'' television show. The attorney for Luster, the great-grandson of cosmetics magnate Max Factor, had withdrawn earlier from the civil suit. Rachel Uranga, (805) 583-7602 rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com |
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