Director James Toback, who was among the first to be distinguished in the #MeToo scandal in 2017, was sentenced on Wednesday to pay $ 1.68 billion after a sexual assault in New York.
Toback, 80, was accused of having abused his power in the film industry to sexually assault women over four decades. 40 women testified during the seven -day trial, which led to what their lawyers believe to be the greatest sexual assault in state history.
“I think this jury spoke loud and clear,” said Brad Beckworth, a lawyer for the complainants, saying that he had argued that the #MeToo movement had not been far enough. “We wanted their voice to be heard and have repercussions across the country to say to initiates and people in power that we will not tolerate to use this power against women.”
Toback did not attend the trial. Earlier in the case, he issued a refusal of coverage, including an assertion that all sexual activity was consensual. He was acting as his own lawyer at the time. He did not show up for the preliminary hearings, which led to a default judgment against him.
Toback did not respond to messages asking for comments on Wednesday.
The jury of six members was summoned to decide damages. After the deliberation, the jury granted $ 280 million in compensatory damages and $ 1.4 billion in punitive damages.
Lawyers will then have to assess if Toback has assets that they can continue.
“We will try to recover it, but it is not the only motivation factor,” said Ross Leonoudakis, another lawyer for the complainants. “We have seen a unique opportunity to help these survivors seek justice.”
Toback wrote the 1991 film “Bugsy” and wrote and directed “The Pick-Up Artist” and “Two Girls and A Guy”. He was accused of prowling the streets of New York for decades, looking for young women to invite meetings with the promise of cinematographic offers. He was accused of having sexually assaulted them at the Harvard Club and other places in New York, including his apartment, assembly studio and public parks.
The accusers – most now in the forties and fifties, and some in the early 1970s – were authorized to bring the trial under the New York adult survivors, which created a one -year window within which the limitation period was suspended for sexual assault. The prosecution was filed for the first time in December 2022.
During the trial, 20 women testified in person. Video deposits of 20 other women were also played for the jury.
Mary Monahan, the principal applicant, said in a statement that the verdict represents “validation”.
“For decades, I carried this trauma in silence, and today, a jury believed me,” said Monahan. “We believed.
Karen Sklaire Watson, another plaintiff, said that the verdict would make New York safer for women.
“We draw a line in the sand: predators cannot hide behind glory, money or power,” she said in a statement. “Not here. More.”
The complainants initially continued the New York Harvard Club, arguing that the club was neglected by allowing Toback to use it for so many sexual assaults in so many years. The complainants agreed to stop the case against the Harvard Club in January 2024.
La Times pointed out for the first time allegations against Toback of 38 women on October 22, 2017, just two weeks after the New York Times reported history of harassment against Harvey Weinstein. The report sparked an avalanche of similar allegations against many Hollywood figures, as well as new laws protecting the accusers of sexual assault and facilitating the continuation of prosecution.
“We will try to recover it, but this is not the only motivation factor,” said Ross Leonoudakis,
