Owners of a Key West apartment complex have agreed to pay $2 Million to the family of a minor who was sexually assaulted multiple times by a de facto employee.
The minor child victim was living with his family in a rental apartment in Key West. Over a period of several months, the child was subjected to multiple sexual assaults and batteries at the hands of the de facto property manager while on the premises. The abuse was discovered by the child’s mother, who promptly reported the matter to the police. The criminal offender died before the criminal case was completed and before the suit was filed in the civil matter.
The apartment complex denied that the offender was an employee of the owner, or that he had the level of access to the child’s apartment that the plaintiff claimed in this case. Haggard Law Firm attorneys Christopher Marlowe, Michael Haggard and co-counsel Chelsie M. Lamie represented the family of the victim. Their investigation revealed that the offender executed many of the duties of a property manager and received a discount on his rent from the owners for the work done.
Several witnesses indicated that the offender had acted inappropriately over the years, albeit not as severely as in this case. The offender was a convicted felon who had no record of convictions for any prior similar crime, but whose qualifications for the job were suspect on multiple levels.
The child victim was an extraordinarily brave and credible young person who wanted to send a message to other property owners to act responsibly so no other children are victimized.
