$10 Million Dollar Verdict

Victim's Settlement Largest For Rape Case, Lawyer Says

Reprinted from: Morning Advocate, June 7, 1991
By Andy Crawford, Advocate Staff Writer

A national motel chain settled out of court Wednesday for what is said to be the largest settlement in a rape case, a Baton Rouge lawyer reported Thursday.

Motel 6 Corp. agreed to a $10 million settlement in a Texas lawsuit, in which a Monroe native claims she was raped in a Motel 6 room in Fort Worth, Texas, after being told the motel provided security, said Jerry McKernan of Friedman & McKernan.

The Baton Rouge law firm was trying the case in Harris County District Court in Houston when the out-of-court settlement was reached, McKernan said.

The settlement came after seven trial days, McKernan said.

“It will hopefully let Motel 6 and other motels and hotels know that juries will deal very harshly with them if they mislead people that they have a safe place to stay when they do not,” McKernan said.

"The lawsuit claimed that the victim was told by motel employees that the business provided security, but did not", McKernan said. "The suit also claims that two men broke through the woman's motel room door and raped, robbed and beat the woman," the attorney said.

"She was very severely injured emotionally. According to doctors, she will suffer lifelong effects,” McKernan said.

"The evidence was clear and we think the jury would have done at least this or more,” he said.

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