Published:Tuesday, November 11, 2008 10:36 AM PST
Serving the South Coast of Oregon

Woman awarded $4.5 million in sex abuse case
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 10:36 AM PST

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A woman who sued her stepfather after claiming she was repeatedly sexually abused as a child has been awarded $4.5 million in damages.

A Marion County jury awarded the 24-year-old woman $1.5 million for pain and suffering before a judge awarded her $3 million in punitive damages in a separate hearing without the jury on Monday.

The woman’s attorney, Gilion Dumas, said it was one of the largest awards in a sexual abuse case in the history of the state.

Testimony at trial indicated the woman was only 12 when her stepfather, Edward Webb, would tie her up, force her to wear nylons and then abuse her.

Webb’s attorney, Robert Gunn, declined to comment on the case.

 


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