Advertisement

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Woman awarded judgment in sex tape case

By Edith Brady-Lunny
eblunny@pantagraph.com

BLOOMINGTON -- A McLean County judge approved a default judgment Monday against two men sued by a woman over a sexually explicit video she claims was made without her consent.

A confidential agreement also has been reached with a third man accused of participating in the October 2004 incident, said Mark Johnson, the woman’s attorney.

A Dec. 20 hearing is scheduled to determine the amount of damages the woman is entitled to receive.

The Pantagraph has not identified the woman’s identity in criminal and civil proceedings connected to the accusations because she is the victim of an alleged sex crime.

Named in the civil lawsuit filed in April are Thomas Robert Hawkins, Jeff Young and Kenneth McCoy. Hawkins and Young were acquitted in March of criminal sexual assault and eavesdropping charges related to the woman’s complaint. Young is the woman’s former boyfriend.

Criminal charges were not filed against McCoy.

Johnson said Hawkins and Young, who are serving prison terms on matters unrelated to the civil case, did not offer a defense in the civil matter, which sought more than $50,000 from each defendant.

Young, 45, was sentenced to a total of 28 years in prison in September for assaulting and videotaping another woman and selling cocaine. Hawkins, 35, is serving a 12-year term for sexually assaulting three minors.

In testimony at the trial for Hawkins and Young, the alleged victim said she found a video in April 2005 made by Young. He admitted to having another tape that she later saw and turned over to police.

The woman contends she was heavily intoxicated and has no memory of the events that occurred at Young’s home. She admitted that she and Young had consensual sex earlier in the evening but she was unaware that Hawkins switched places with Young at some point.

The civil action alleges the three men caused the woman extreme anguish, embarrassment and mental suffering. VIA pantagraph

Technorati Tags: ,

No comments: