Victim Sexually Assault at Restaurant

Attorneys at Caputo & Van Der Walde – Injury and  Accident Attorneys recently secured a $2.375 million verdict in the Santa Clara Superior Court on behalf of a client who suffered serious injuries after being sexually assaulted by the owner and an employee of the Sushi Zen Restaurant. The case was based on a visit our client had made to the restaurant after hours. The client was intoxicated and sexually assaulted while at the restaurant, suffering severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other injuries as a result of the attack. The future medical bills alone for the trauma suffered were expected to total $25,000. Although the defendant argued that the sexual activity was consensual and that few or no injuries resulted, the jury, after a five-day trial and three hours of deliberation, did not agree. The jury awarded our injured client compensatory damages of $1.275 million, including the cost of future medical bills and amounts to compensate for other losses suffered as a result of the attack. The jury also awarded $1.1 million in punitive damages, based on the evidence heard at trial regarding exactly how the attack had taken place.