Jaycee Dugard and the $20M Settlement Question

[NeverlandClub23]

Jaycee Dugard was awarded $20M in her case against the State of California. My question is where does this money come from (yes, taxpayers I know)? Do states set aside a certain amount of money for lawsuits? Take the money from other areas like transportation? Or do they just go into more debt to pay these settlements? I was just thinking about everything I hear about California being financially struggling and was curious as to what happens in big payouts like this (although I imagine it's not a lump sum payment? ) and had always wondered what happens when states have to pay out big settlements.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Hmmm...I would assume that states have some sort of insurance for things like this, or funds set aside.

 

[Imzadi]

My question to you is: Do you think she doesn't deserve it? The system failed her many times, when they could have done more investigating and found her.

I don't care where the state gets the money from. (Of course, I'm not in CA. NY is in major financial difficulties too, so maybe I'd think differently.) They should take the money from Octomom.

Jaycee and her children are owed a life.

 

[pixiewings71]

She will probably get this in payments. Yes, the state failed her but I feel that the local police department failed her more. They should have to pay the majority of this lawsuit. I'm glad she gets it, 20M will allow her and her children to live very good lives.

 

[Imzadi]

Isn't the local police covered under the state? I would think there is some big pooled "liabilities" account for this type of thing.

 

[minniecarousel]

Yes, I'm sure that there is a State Insurance Fund that will pay this out, hopefully in payments. I'm not sure of the financial advice she's getting, so all the $$ at once wouldn't be a good idea.

As a taxpayer in the State of California, I believe that she and her daughters are due the $$. She was failed by the State sooo many times!

Her biolological father, however, is a piece of crap! He's suing to have contact with her and her daughters. (Suing who, I'm not sure.) But Jaycee has declined contact with him - it should be her decision!

 

[Imzadi]

Her biolological father, however, is a piece of crap! He's suing to have contact with her and her daughters. (Suing who, I'm not sure.) But Jaycee has declined contact with him - it should be her decision!

Oh geez! She already has had trauma from one man forcing himself on her. She & her kids don't need this, too. They probably have problems trusting any man right now. Under the law, (even if mentally she's been stunted as a child, rom the age she was abducted,) she's an adult who can make her own decisions. Why would he have a right to sue? Is this under some grandparental right to see the grandkids?

 

[Frantasmic]

I would imagine that CA figured the cost of getting sued and then probably losing, potentially at an even larger jury award, made the 20 million seem like a good deal.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

No, I definitely think she deserves it. I can't imagine there would ever be a price good enough to go through what she did but she definitely deserves to be able to take care of herself and her kids. I often think about her stepfather and how he must be feeling. I can't imagine the guilt and feeling like I was responsible for what happened after watching her get kidnapped and not being able to catch up to them or stop it and then the constant wondering and "What if's" for all of those years. I feel for him almost as much as Jaycee. After reading the article I was just wondering where the money comes from as it's not like CA (or a lot of states for that matter) have such lax budgets to just throw millions around. Thanks everyone for your input .

 

[arminnie]

I don't know where the exact funds come from, but many states have victim compensation funds made available even when the state was not at fault.

I know $20 million is a huge amount - but given the half % interest rate out there these days and the cost of living in CA she won't be ultra, ultra wealthy.

 

[sunnyday123]

Her biolological father, however, is a piece of crap! He's suing to have contact with her and her daughters. (Suing who, I'm not sure.) But Jaycee has declined contact with him - it should be her decision!

Did she not have contact with him before the abduction?

 

[pixiewings71]

I'm not sure how it works exactly but each county is supposed to have funds for suits but I don't know if that covers suits like hers or not. I didn't follow the lawsuit at all actually but I'm glad she got her $$.

 

[MoniqueU]

Californian chiming in. I believe in the Rodney King case he was awarded money from the local city funds. And that was tough on the city at the time. Since there are so many agencies involved here this may be just from the state and she may sue each of them individually though I don't know that for a fact. I am sure they wanted to settle this as fast as possible and if I were on a jury awarding money it would of been a hell of alot more. After the lawyers get their 33 percent plus fees it is still alot of money but this is going to pay for her and her two children for the forseeable future and split between them over a lifetime it isn't all that much IMHO.

 

[Imzadi]

I often think about her stepfather and how he must be feeling. I can't imagine the guilt and feeling like I was responsible for what happened after watching her get kidnapped and not being able to catch up to them or stop it and then the constant wondering and "What if's" for all of those years. I feel for him almost as much as Jaycee.

I thought the exact same thing. Plus, people were suspecting he might have had something to do with it. The stress of all that tore apart his marriage.

I'm glad he was finally vindicated and his name has been cleared of even suspicion. Unlike, Patsy Ramsey, who had died before the police finally said that she & her husband had nothing to do with Jon Benet's murder.

 

[bumbershoot]

Did she not have contact with him before the abduction?

Got this from googling her name along with "father"...

He wanted nothing to do with her when he learned her mother was pregnant, nothing to do with her once she was born, and nothing to do with her when he was alerted of her kidnapping. But now-he’s back and he’s lawyered up with the one and only Gloria Alred ... and is ready to legally force himself into Jaycee’s life, or at least into the spotlight. He’s even trying to get a court-ordered paternity test.

What a sweetheart he is!

 

[plutotek]

According to the article I read, the award is coming out of the state general fund and will help fund a house and what is sure to be a lot of therapy, as well as a portion of it being put into an investment fund. Hopefully, the fund will be managed by someone other than the state economists.

On a side note, just got off the phone w/a friend in CA and state workers are about to start working for minimum wage due to the budget crisis. My question is how are all the legislators going to manage on $8/hr??

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

Got this from googling her name along with "father"...



What a sweetheart he is!

Haven't really been following the case closely, but this is sad -- this poor gal has been through quite enough already and needs to surround herself with people who genuinely care about her, not the $$ or "fame"/attention.

 

[LisaNJ25]

On a side note, just got off the phone w/a friend in CA and state workers are about to start working for minimum wage due to the budget crisis. My question is how are all the legislators going to manage on $8/hr??

I read that last night.. I think its $7.75 an hour. California's min wage. Is the governor taking a pay cut?

 

[barkley]

Isn't the local police covered under the state? I would think there is some big pooled "liabilities" account for this type of thing.

local police in california are either city or county entities, so in the dugard case it would be either be the city of antioch or contra costa county. the state of california paid out the money because the kidnapper had been under the state of california's justice department's parole division for years, and the parole officers BIG TIME dropped the ball in supervising him (home visits, etc.).

there's been no comment from jaycee's lawyer as to weather there won't also be a suit filed against the federal government. her kidnapper was under the federal department of correction's supervision at the time of the kidnapping, and it does'nt appear that their paroles division did any better job than the state's.

there could also still be suits against either the antioch p.d. or the contra costa county sherriff's department (not sure if the part of antioch she was found to be living in was inside city limits or not)-multiple neighbors have reported that they called law enforcement time and time again over the years reporting their concerns.

 

[barkley]

According to the article I read, the award is coming out of the state general fund and will help fund a house and what is sure to be a lot of therapy, as well as a portion of it being put into an investment fund. Hopefully, the fund will be managed by someone other than the state economists.

On a side note, just got off the phone w/a friend in CA and state workers are about to start working for minimum wage due to the budget crisis. My question is how are all the legislators going to manage on $8/hr??

for the time being, the state controller is refusing to comply with the govenator's decision (did the same thing a couple of years ago).

the controller's office contends that it's illegal for the state to take this action, they don't want to get hit with the liability that could occur, AND their payroll system can't make a change like this.