GRL Law helps secure justice for sexual assault survivor by obtaining a record jury verdict and judgment that will follow the offender around for the rest of his life. On February 23, 2017, a Polk County Jury returned a verdict totaling $127 MILLION in favor of a minor survivor and her parents against a man convicted of sexually assaulting the minor.
Defendant, James Lee Hohenshell, was previously convicted of Lascivious Conduct with a Minor on December 18, 2014, and was sentenced to five years in prison. The survivor and her parents filed a civil suit in August of 2015.
GRL Law partner, Cory F. Gourley, released the following statement:
"The community has sent a loud and clear message that sexual assault does not just end when an offender serves a prison term. The civil justice system can empower a survivor to exact the kind of justice that will follow the offender forever. It took a strong young lady to help send this message, not just to the State of Iowa but to the entire nation."
The family has also released the following statement:
"First, we would like to thank the Jury and the Court. The subject matter of this trial was very difficult, and we appreciate their time and attention. This judgment was significantly higher than what we asked for. This jury made a statement with this amount. The five-year sentence the Defendant received is not near enough for the severity of the crimes he has committed. He is due to be paroled the 25th of March. He will have only served 2 years and 4 months for the rape of a 13 year-old girl. Our hope is that this amount will act as a deterrent to other potential offenders."
