New York jury awards $1.68 billion to women who accused director James Toback of sexual abuse | World News

A New York jury has ordered James Toback, a Hollywood writer and director, to pay $1.68 billion in damages to 40 women who accused him of sexual abuse over a 35-year period, as reported Associated Press (AP). 
The jury awarded $280 million in compensatory damages and $1.4 billion in punitive damages, according to Brad Beckworth, the lawyer representing the women. This significant judgment is one of the largest since the #MeToo movement began, highlighting the severe consequences for individuals found guilty of sexual misconduct.
“This verdict is about justice,” Beckworth said in a statement quoted AP. “But more importantly, it’s about taking power back from the abusers — and their enablers — and returning it to those he tried to control and silence.”
Story continues below this ad

The case was filed in 2022 after New York passed the Adult Survivors Act, which opened a one-year window for victims to sue over sexual assault, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.
Beckworth told AP the abuse happened between 1979 and 2014. Toback allegedly approached young women on the streets of New York, promising them film roles, but instead subjected them to sexual acts, threats, and psychological pressure.
Mary Monahan, one of the main plaintiffs, said the verdict brought long-awaited recognition. “For decades, I carried this trauma in silence, and today, a jury believed me. Believed us. That changes everything,” she said in a statement shared with AP. “We are not disposable. We are not liars. We are not collateral damage in someone else’s power trip.”
Toback, now 80, denied the allegations in court documents, claiming that any contact was consensual. He also argued that the Adult Survivors Act was unconstitutional. However, he failed to appear in court when ordered, leading the judge to issue a default judgment against him in January. The recent trial was held only to decide the amount of damages.Story continues below this ad
Toback was previously nominated for an Oscar for writing the 1991 film Bugsy. Accusations against him first came to light in 2017, during the rise of the #MeToo movement, when the Los Angeles Times published accounts from multiple women.
As of Wednesday night, the court had not yet released official documentation of the jury’s decision, AP noted.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

Expand