REQUEST A FREE CONSULTATION212-808-800824/7 EMERGENCY HOTLINE516-965-4370

Blog

Plaza Hotel Rape Victim Awarded $2,250,000 by Manhattan Federal Court Judge

On October 17, 2017, Southern District Judge Robert Sweet awarded $1,250,000 in compensatory damages and $1,000,000 in punitive damages to a former nursing school student who was drugged and brutally raped and sodomized at the Plaza Hotel in 2010. This horrific attack also involved another female friend of the nursing school student. Both were sexually tortured for several hours by the perpetrator who was a low level employee of Saudi Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd. Since it remains dubious that this award will ever be paid by the perpetrator (who was sentenced to only 10 years in prison in February 2012), what is stunning is how low the award was set by the Judge. 

The victim and a friend of hers had been lured into a trap at the Plaza Hotel and both were drugged and raped by the defendant. The victim was unable to continue nursing school, was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and severe depression, lost her apartment, a side business and had to endure a humiliating cross examination at the criminal trial while reliving the horrors of the event. The defendant had no remorse and had told the victim immediately after the rape--"Go ahead, call the police. Do whatever you want." Still suffering from severe emotional distress up to the present time and having described her mental torture as constant--the award by any Judge or jury should have been much more. Surely, when sexual harassment lawsuits settle for tens of millions - how could this case be worth so much less? Jane Doe v Oanes 13 Civ. 571

Ronald C. Burke, Esq

Trial Attorney with 30+ Years of Experience Attorney Ronald C. Burke, Esq. has more than 30 years of experience and has focused his career on representing clients in cases involving personal injury, medical malpractice and legal malpractice. He is a seasoned trial lawyer and has won many seven-figure settlements and verdicts for his clients over the years, including many case victories listed among the largest in the history of the New York State. He has been featured in the news and is a regular lecturer for the New York County Lawyers Association, as well as having lectured before the New York State Bar Association. Ron is also an attorney with Kelner & Kelner, a New York personal injury law firm. Awards and Accolades Mr. Burke's awards and accolades are many. Among them, he has been included in New York Super Lawyers® each year since 2010, and he has received the highest-possible AV® Rating from Martindale-Hubbell®. Verdict Search, a part of the New York Law Journal, frequently recognizes his notable successes after winning some of the highest settlements and verdicts in past years. He was also featured in their list of the "Top New York Verdicts " and "Top New York Settlements." He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and is licensed to practice law in the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, as well as before the United States Supreme Court. When Attorney Burke is not handling legal malpractice cases, he is highly involved in the local community. He was a member of the Village of Rockville Centre Volunteer Fire Department, has served on the local school board and as Chairman of the local Zoning Board. Learn more about Attorney Burke and how he can skillfully handle your malpractice case by contacting the Law Offices of Ronald C. Burke, Esq. right away to schedule your complimentary case evaluation. Our firm is here to help! Contact a New York Legal Malpractice Attorney Our firm provides each client's case with thorough preparation and aggressive representation, ensuring that you win the best possible results for your case whether it is settled or goes to trial. As a seasoned trial lawyer, Mr. Burke can provide the strong and relentless representation you need to establish negligence in a legal malpractice case and to recover any damages you may have suffered. Our firm can recover compensation for pre-trial and trial malpractice, violations of fee arrangements, loss of income, pain and suffering, and much more. Contact us today!

Comments

There are no comments for this post. Be the first and Add your Comment below.

Leave a Comment

Go to Top