Woman Beaten By Husband Wins Suit

[MountainLaurel]

When police arrived, Deborah Martin told them she didn't know if she'd been punched two or three times -- or two or three hundred. From the looks of the photos taken a few hours later, it was probably closer to the latter.

Martin's husband, Ernest John Lofgren, had pinned her to the kitchen floor in their Fairfax Station home in September 2003 and hit her repeatedly. He later pleaded guilty to assault and battery and served eight weeks in jail. Earlier this year, the couple divorced, which a court commissioner blamed on "the husband's barbaric treatment of the wife."

But before the divorce was final, Deborah Martin took one more step. She sued her husband. And this week, Fairfax County jurors decided Lofgren needed to do more than just a short jail stint. They ordered him to pay Martin $550,000, in part for the extensive bills to repair her face -- and mind -- and to make a statement that domestic violence is intolerable, jurors said.

Domestic violence victims in the Washington area rarely have stepped into the civil arena, experts said, for a variety of reasons, including reluctance to tangle with the legal system again, difficulty in finding a lawyer willing to take the case and inability to get money from a batterer even if they win.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/17/AR2006081701483.html

[ThomCat]

1. This is awesome.

Of course, I can forsee conservatives attack this as "overburdening the courts with more frivolous lawsuits." Tough shit. We need to see a lot more lawsuits like this.

[lukasahero]

2. The conservatives aren't the ones I'm worried about

I'm waiting to hear from the "but women abuse men too" crowd.

Hi ThomCat! :hi:

[ThomCat]

3. Hopefully not on this board.

Though, in GD I expect you would be right.

Of course, in those less-common cases where it's a man abused I assume he could sue too, so their complaint would be a non-issue.

:hi: Hi lukasahero!

[mrreowwr_kittty]

7. Wait for it....

The lawsuit filed on behalf of a husband by a men's rights group. Can't let those uppity broads go gettin' big ideas now. :sarcasm:

[Triana]

4. We definitely NEED more lawsuits like this...

...that'd help put the kaibosh on 'women as property' that you kick like kicking your dog when you're in a pissy mood.

They talk about WOMEN on PMS? What's MENS's excuse for this type of behavior?

....?

[ThomCat]

5. The more strength/power people have

the less of an excuse they seem to need to use it. Or perhaps, it's that other people have less ability to demand a reason or justification.

[Triana]

6. Probably a bit of both (n/t)

[femrap]

10. And guess who is clogging the courts with

frivolous lawsuits?????? CORPORATIONS, THAT'S WHO!

Another pug myth that the little people are responsible for this.

[ismnotwasm]

8. I told a patient about this

One who had been a vicim of something particularly henious. (not the direct reason for hospitalization) I can't tell you how glad they were to hear about it. Things like this DOES give hope to abuse victims.

[melnjones]

9. good for her... nt