The California State Assembly passed a bill that gave Jaycee Lee Dugard and her daughters a $20 million settlement. (Photo: Head Muscle)
While kidnapper and registered sex offender Phillip Garrido and wife Nancy still have not gone to trial, CNN reports that Jaycee Lee Dugard and her two teenage daughters are the recipients of a $20 million settlement from their case against the California State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The lawsuit stemmed from Jaycee Dugard’s claim that parole agents were in dereliction of their duties when they failed to investigate Phillip Garrido’s residence more thoroughly, which would have uncovered the imprisonment of both herself and her young daughters in Garrido’s backyard. The bill appropriating the unprecedented $20 million Dugard settlement flew through with a 30-1 vote in the California Senate and 62-0 in the California Assembly.
Jaycee Lee Dugard was missing for 18 years
No amount of money can give the now 30-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard and her family back the lost years when she lived in Phillip Garrido’s makeshift backyard prison. But the $20 million Dugard settlement will enable Jaycee Dugard to buy a home, pay for her children’s education and obtain as much therapy as is necessary, among many other things. If nothing else, perhaps the scrutiny into the California State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s methods will prevent anyone else from going through a similar ordeal. According to department’s report on the matter, “While it is true that Garrido’s California parole was never officially violated … the department failed to properly supervise Garrido and missed numerous opportunities to discover his victims.”
State officials thought they might have a case against Dugard
While California State officials thought at one point that they had enough information on their side to contest Jaycee Lee Dugard’s claim, they ultimately ruled that it wasn’t worth bringing the case before a jury. Their case apparently would have hinged upon jurisdictional matters, reports CNN. However, the public relations nightmare for California would have been disastrous. The state decided against passing the buck and claiming that it was the responsibility of federal parole officers (rather than California State parole officers).
Sources:
AP report on $20 million Dugard settlement:
You're right. You can't put a price tag on life. No amount of money can restore those precious years lost to that religious nut-head. Her family is going through so much, and even $20 million cannot ease the pain and damage they've endured, psychologically, physically and emotionally.
So how did she get free?
Here's how it supposedly went down, David. In late August 2009, Garrido, Dugard and her daughters appeared in public multiple times. They appeared at an FBI office, at the office of Garrido's parole officer and in other public places. Dugard and her daughters were allegedly distributing literature for Garrido's self-made church, "God's Desire Church." The daughters were overheard calling Garrido "daddy," and this info made it to Garrido's parole officer, who had no record of Garrido having children. This prompted the investigation that led to the discovery of Jaycee Lee Dugard and her two daughters, who were living in a tent in Garrido's back yard.
More info can be found on Wikipedia, among other places.