Rape Claimant Must Pay Corporation $145K in Court Costs
In July, Jamie Leigh Jones lost her federal civil trial against KBR—one of America's most capable government contractors—when a Houston jury determined that her coworkers had never drugged, raped, and shoved her into a shipping container. Or maybe they had, but she'd been asking for it—you know, like KBR said.
Originally KBR had asked for $2 million from Jones, an IT worker whose claim stemmed from an incident that allegedly took place in Baghdad in 2005 (you can find the complaint here). But the presiding judge dropped attorneys fees from her bill, so now all she owes is $145,073.19—money she reportedly does not have, this being America. (I bet you $145,073 that KBR would quibble over the 19 cents.)
The outcome of Jones's case is likely to deter others from filing their own lawsuit for rape or human trafficking and death or negligence or any other problem one might dare to have with such a reputable, pro-lady company. Or any other company in America. This is the magic of tort reform. This is not the magic of tort reform (though Jones appears in the new tort-reform documentary Hot Coffee) but the result of KBR taking advantage of its right under the federal Civil Rights Act to collect from Jones. However, the company could have decided against pursuing the costs (because they're already super-loaded), or possibly sought to recoup them from the government (because having taxpayers foot the bill for corporations is how we do business).
