COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio Supreme Court decision is expected soon that could impact the amount of financial compensation child sexual abuse victims can receive.

Jessica Simpkins was raped at the age of 15 by her church pastor – a man hired by Grace Brethren Church in Sunbury despite the knowledge that he had previously sexually abused two girls.

In a civil suit, a jury awarded Simpkins $3.5 million for pain and suffering, but the amount was reduced to $250,000 due to a state law that caps damages.

She says she's being re-victimized and took the case to the Ohio Supreme Court.

"I just feel like they're protecting the church,” she states. “When they had the accusations made against him previous, if they wouldn't have let him start this church, it would never have happened. "

Simpkins' attorney argues the law is unconstitutional as applied to juvenile sexual abuse victims, as they can suffer more emotional damages than physical or economic harm.

But attorneys for the church maintain large awards on non-economic injuries are subjective and difficult to quantify.

Arguments were heard in December and a decision is expected any day now.

Sexual assault victims often face a long, hard road of recovery, and Simpkins says she can't get over the horror of her attack.

"There's like two to three times a week it's like a whole tape of the day will just replay in my head and it's like I have to freeze for a while because I can't do anything, I can't stop it,” she relates. “I know I need counseling, but I know I'm not ready to talk about it. I have a big problem with trusting people and I have an alcohol problem."

Some supporters contend caps benefit the state's economy by creating a fairer and more predictable civil justice system.

But Simpkins' attorney, John Fitch, says it's bad public policy that shields those who engage in the sexual abuse of children.

"The law actually protects those who are responsible for the rape of the child, be it the rapist on in this case, an employer who does nothing in the face of accusations of sexually predatory conduct,” he states. “That's just outrageous and it's immoral."





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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Legal advocacy groups in Tennessee have asked Shelby County Court officials to change their bail and pretrial detention practices, or face a lawsuit about their constitutionality.

Andrea Woods, staff attorney for the Criminal Law Reform Project at the ACLU, explained under Shelby County's current system, people who cannot afford to pay their bail can be jailed indefinitely, even if they are not a flight or safety risk.

"The person may not even learn what their bail amount is unless they ask," Woods observed. "The legal processes don't address their bond, don't provide them the opportunity to seek release; and it can be days or weeks before they have a lawyer who can try to get them out, if they can't afford their bail."

The ACLU of Tennessee, along with the Wharton Firm and Memphis nonprofit Just City have asked the court in writing to ensure a person's financial circumstances are examined prior to any bail hearing, among other reforms.

Groups like Tennessee Voices for Victims argue loosening bail polices could pose a safety threat to communities. Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich had said she is willing to discuss the issue.

Josh Spickler, executive director of the group Just City, pointed out Shelby County's is not the only Tennessee court to come under scrutiny for its bail practices. He noted last year, a federal judge ruled Hamblen County's cash bail practices violated constitutional rights.

"The reasons that we keep people in a jail are really only twofold," Spickler noted. "Are they a risk of not returning to court, and are they a risk to the safety of the community? When you put money into that equation, it can quickly result in what we have here in Shelby County, which is a jail full of poor people."

Spickler stressed other types of releases, such as unsecured bonds, still hold people accountable. However, he acknowledged the system can fail victims. He cited a recent case in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in which a person with a history of violent crime had been released on a relatively low bail amount when he killed six people and injured dozens of others at a Christmas parade.

"But I think the key takeaway there is that this is an outlier," Spickler cautioned. "It is a very rare event. We do have some data about people who are accused of crimes while out on bail, and those are tiny."

According to the Vera Institute, in 2019, Shelby County spent nearly $139 million, more than 30% of the county's budget, on its two jail facilities.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A new report ranks Maryland as one of the worst states in providing support for young victims of sex trafficking.

While Maryland has made some progress in this area, the Shared Hope International report card puts the state near the bottom, at 44th, with a failing grade.

It said Maryland must do better in identifying victims, and in its response to them.

Melanie Shapiro, public policy director for the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, part of the state's anti-trafficking task force, said it is still among the few states treating trafficked children as criminals, placing them in juvenile detention instead of providing much-needed services.

"The criminal and juvenile justice system can be re-traumatizing for child victims of sex trafficking," Shapiro explained. "So, we need to have a trauma-informed and victim-centered approach."

Her group is working on legislation for the upcoming General Assembly session to provide "safe harbor" laws, to keep trafficked minors from being arrested and charged as prostitutes or for related offenses.

Shapiro pointed out Maryland is one of only a handful of states that have not adopted safe harbor policies to protect sexually exploited children. She thinks misperceptions on TV or in movies about victims often distort the reality of serious abuse by traffickers, who prey on vulnerable kids and teens.

"Sex traffickers lure them in as pretending to be somebody that loves them and cares for them," Shapiro noted. "And then they do terrible things to them, including physically abusing them, sexually abusing them. They make a child perform sex acts for money. That is one of the most awful things that they can do."

Gov. Larry Hogan signed the Child Sex Trafficking Screening and Services Act in 2019, creating a program to help law enforcement work with social-services agencies, and bring support to suspected child victims.

But Shapiro argued a safe-harbor law is the only way to keep them from incarceration.

MADISON, Wis. - The Kyle Rittenhouse verdict continues to evoke a range of emotions from the public. A University of Wisconsin expert says the outcome could have lasting effects on marginalized residents who already feel pushed away by social institutions.

Rittenhouse, a white teen, was acquitted of murder charges for shooting several protesters during last year's police brutality demonstrations in Kenosha.

Alvin Thomas, an assistant professor in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said it only adds to the list of previous high-profile cases tied to debates over racial injustice.

For anyone who's experienced racial bias, Thomas said it could further cement negative reactions.

"Every time a new incident comes up," said Thomas, "what it does is that it can produce some of these Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms like re-experiencing, hypervigilance, avoidance, flashbacks and memories, intense sadness, and fear and anger."

Thomas noted a body of research links discrimination to worsening mental and physical health. He said even though some people who are Black feel resigned to an unfair criminal justice system, each event still has a tremendous personal impact on them.

Supporters of Rittenhouse argue the case boiled down to self-defense, adding that those who died were white.

But Thomas said it's important to remember the protesters who were shot were there in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. And he explained a perceived injustice against anyone, no matter their race, can add to the pain already felt by so many.

"I think it's very similar to what we saw during the Civil Rights movement," said Thomas, "where you had people of different colors, ethnicities who were engaged in that fight. And they bled together."

As for long-term effects, Thomas said there's danger that people experiencing negative reactions could feel less compelled to take part in certain facets of mainstream society.

"Like elections and voting," said Thomas, "engaging in different things that make society move."

While there are many documented cases of police violence toward Black males, Thomas noted Black girls and women can be victims too. He said the pain from these events can be equally shared.

"I think Black men could be hit with the understanding that 'this victim looks like me,'" said Thomas. "But I think Black women also are hit just as hard, because when they look, they see a brother, they see a father, they see a son."