Vickrey Achieves Rare Outcome in Childhood Sexual Abuse Dispute

In a rare outcome for cases claiming sexual abuse, Johnson & Bell Attorney, Caroline K. Vickrey, recently obtained a nuisance value settlement of claims in a childhood sexual abuse dispute filed by her client’s adult daughter.  The daughter claimed to have repressed memories of the abuse until she was 30 years old.  Ms. Vickrey’s client categorically denied all allegations of abuse.  Through depositions of doctors, therapists, family members and the police, Ms. Vickrey was able to mount evidence that her client’s ex-husband was behind the claims of abuse.  Ms. Vickrey argued that the ex-husband fabricated claims of abuse for strategic advantage in a parallel probate court guardianship litigation involving her client’s younger adult daughter with disabilities. Ms. Vickrey’s client was devastated by the public filing of the complaint by Deutschman & Associates, having endured a lengthy post-marital dissolution litigation with her ex-husband.  Ms. Vickrey argued that the public filing was clearly meant to embarrass her client and impact the guardianship dispute involving the adult daughter with disabilities.  Nonetheless, Ms. Vickrey’s client was satisfied that her ex-husband’s efforts to alienate the daughter against her mother were exposed through the litigation process and the claims were ultimately unsuccessful.