Denver jury awards $3.9M to former stripper who sued wealthy ranche

A Denver jury has awarded a former stripper $3.9 million in a sexual assault lawsuit against a wealthy Colorado rancher.

The judge presiding over the civil trial called the attack “indescribably brutal,” but in 2013 Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey chose to drop the original criminal charge to misdemeanor unlawful contact instead of felony sexual assault.

The victim, Amanda Wilson, and her attorney, Qusair Mohamedbhai, told The Denver Post the verdict announced late last week was a victory for other sexual assault victims. And they criticized the district attorney’s office for failing to prosecute her attacker on more serious charges for the February 2013 attack.

“I hope this verdict is empowering to any woman or person who has felt helpless and terrified at the hands of another,” Wilson, 30, wrote in an e-mail to The Post. “Rape destroys lives and it does matter, even when the criminal justice system brushes you off and prefers you to be quiet. You do matter.”

Click here to read this article in its entirety at The Denver Post.