Jury Awards $13.5M Verdict in Case of 3½ Year-Old Boy Physically and Sexually Assaulted at New Horizon Daycare
Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) February 02, 2015 -- A Hennepin County jury returned a verdict of $13,532,032.94 late Friday afternoon in the case of a 3 ½ year old boy who was physically and sexually assaulted at a daycare facility operated by New Horizon at the Grand Casino Mille Lacs in January 2008. Rich Ruohonen and Chuck Slane of TSR Injury Law of Bloomington, MN declared that the verdict would provide some semblance of justice to the young victim and his family.
According to evidence presented at trial, on January 23, 2008, 3½ year-old boy, “JK” was entrusted to the care of the New Horizon day care center at the Grand Casino Mille Lacs. The center’s staff left him unsupervised for more than 90 minutes, and during that time a 9 ½ year old boy physically and sexually assaulted him. Surveillance cameras in the daycare facility captured some of the assault, but much of the crime took place outside the camera’s view.
According to evidence presented at trial, JK was beaten, strangled and raped. He suffered a subconjunctival hemorrhage in his eye from strangulation and numerous bruises all over his face and his body, as well as injuries from the sexual abuse. As a result of this horrible assault, JK suffers extreme Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to this day. Now ten years old, he is hyper-vigilant, prone to violent outbursts and has serious difficulties regulating his emotions or reacting to everyday stimuli. Medications and ongoing therapy have helped, but medical experts testified at trial that JK’s damage would never fully heal.
“Finally, after seven years, JK has received the justice he deserves,” said TSR Injury Law’s Rich Ruohonen. “He will now be able to get the help he needs to move on with his life and deal with the effects of the permanent PTSD from which he suffers.”
TSR Injury Law’s Chuck Slane added, “In a case like this, nobody wins, because no person should have to endure this type of assault, and no amount of money can erase the trauma JK suffered. This little boy and his family had their lives forever changed on that day in 2008, and this verdict will help bring them some semblance of closure and comfort.”
An eight-person jury heard the case over two weeks in Hennepin County. Dan Haws and Mike Ryan from Murnane Brandt located in St. Paul Minnesota defended the case while the Honorable Ivy Bernhardson presided over the trial. The case, number 27-CV-12-9958, was heard in Hennepin County District Court.
About TSR Injury Law
TSR Injury Law is a Minnesota personal injury law firm that is passionate about obtaining justice for clients who suffer from injuries through no fault of their own. TSR Injury Law’s partners, Steve Terry, Chuck Slane, Rich Ruohonen & Nate Bjerke have been named Super Lawyers by Minnesota Law & Politics and have successfully resolved countless personal injury cases, often obtaining judgments several times larger than insurance companies’ initial offers. TSR Injury Law believes that effective legal representation is built on more than just litigation and works hard to build solid relationships with clients, feel compassion for their suffering and help them achieve justice. For more information, follow the firm on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube, or visit http://www.tsrinjurylaw.com or call 612-TSR-TIME.
Jarad Geldner, Red Banyan Group, +1 (202) 527-9524, [email protected]
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