Westport man ordered to pay $6.8M in sex assault lawsuit
HARTFORD — A federal jury has ordered a Westport man to pay $6.8 million to a woman who claimed he repeatedly sexually assaulted her when she was a child.
The U.S. District Court jury deliberated over two days before ruling Thursday afternoon that George Stiegler Jr. caused both negligent and intentional infliction of emotion distress to the now 25-year-old woman.
The jury also found that punitive damages are warranted and those will be decided by Judge Alvin Thompson at a later date.
“The justice system worked, the jury heard the victim, believed her and rendered justice for what was done to her,” said the plaintiff ’s lawyer, Antonio Ponvert III, of the Bridgeport law firm
Koskoff, Koskoff and Bieder. “My client is a very brave, courageous young woman who felt the need to speak out on her behalf and on behalf of other victims.”
Stiegler’s lawyers did not return calls and emails for comment on the verdict.
During the 6-day trial, the plaintiff, who now lives in California, testified that when she was five she and her mother moved into Stiegler’s home in Westport.
The plaintiff testified that Stiegler first began showing her pornographic photographs and that led to him sexually assaulting her over the next six years.
Ponvert said his client told her mother what Stiegler was allegedly doing to her when she was 15 and she was sent to see a therapist hired by Stiegler.
He said years later the woman filed a complaint with the Westport police but by then it was beyond the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution. That time limit has since been extended.
“I hope this verdict will cause law enforcement to take another look at this case,” Ponvert said.