Hennepin jury awards $18M in sex-abuse case

July 11, 2005

A Hennepin County jury awarded a boy who was sexually abused by his grandfather more than $18 million on July 1. The verdict is believed to be the largest award ever to a sex-abuse victim in Minnesota.

The jury awarded $10 million for past pain, embarrassment and emotional distress; $3,000 for past medical expenses; $5 million for future pain, embarrassment and emotional distress; and $3 million for future medical expenses. The jury did not award any punitive damages.

In 2003, the grandfather had entered a guilty plea in the related criminal proceedings. The criminal complaint alleged that the grandfather repeatedly sexually abused the boy and threatened to kill the boy, his parents, his brother and his dog if the abuse were disclosed.

The grandfather served eight months in a Hennepin County Adult Detention Center.

The boy's lawyer, Konstandinos Nicklow of Minneapolis, said the evidence at trial was only about damages since the grandfather had already pleaded guilty to the criminal charge. The boy testified for about five minutes so the jury could meet him; and the other witnesses were the parents, a treating psychologist and two experts, he said.

Nicklow also said the grandfather owns assets worth nearly $1 million.