Civil jury awards $5M for rape at California night club; man acquitted in criminal case
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A California jury has awarded a woman $5.4 million after finding that she was raped in the restroom of a West Hollywood nightclub by an employee of the establishment.
The woman's attorney says the civil jury reached the award Friday after a 15-day trial in Santa Monica.
The employee, a 23-year-old bus boy named Victor Cruz, was acquitted in the criminal case. He did not attend the civil proceedings.
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The 43-year-old plaintiff, a news producer, alleges she was raped at the Here Lounge in 2009 by Cruz.
The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/1dQtvbO ) that the jury rejected claims that the sex was consensual.
Jurors found the nightclub should pay 40 percent of the verdict and Cruz 60 percent.
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Cruz has not been seen since he was acquitted.