For the record, I stated that a jury verdict could have resulted in a settlement of tens of millions, which would be followed by an appeal by Watchtower, which is well within their rights to do. Naturally we would expect that an appeal would take a significant amount of time, and possibly result in a reduction of the original amount awarded by the jury. We simply don't know, because this is hypothetical, and it never happened.
What did happen was that Watchtower settled for an undisclosed amount. That is the end of the story, and people are free to speculate all they want. I saw one blogger claim that she won 2 million dollars, but he admitted it was all speculation based on his personal experience with JW child abuse settlements. This means nothing. If the amount is not disclosed, then it is not disclosed. Period. All the guessing in the world will not give anyone the answer to this question.
Hence we need to concentrate on the facts. What happened both before and during the trial? Why did it happen? How does it relate to other cases? How will it affect Watchtower in future cases? How will it protect children in the future? Will awareness be heightened? Will Watchtower change its policies? These are all important questions which are open for discussion. Any settlement amount is not open for discussion.
In my case, I saw what happened, start to finish, and I will report the facts.
While I am certainly a supporter of Stephanie Fessler, I am also a supporter of truth an justice, which means I agree that Watchtower deserved a chance to defend itself in court. If they had provided evidence that they did indeed comply with state laws, I would have reported this, and you can be assured that the trial would have continued. However that is not what happened. We all know that Watchtower settled because they were unable, despite their best efforts, to defend themselves. They "cut their losses" and decided it was best to move on. This is their right, and they made an agreement which was accepted by the plaintiff.
At the beginning of this trial, judge Collins told the jury that she was the sole determiner of the law, but that the jury was the sole determiner of the facts of this case. The jury took this very seriously. Once the trial was complete, they voiced their opinions, and they made it clear that the elders and the organization had an obligation to report, but they failed to do so.
On multiple occasions, Watchtower attempted to object on 1st Amendment grounds, but was shut down every time. A strong message was sent that while religions have rights, they do not have the right to prevent a minor from receiving protection from civil authorities when there is a suspicion that they have been abused. The reality is that most religions agree with this, and they co-exist peacefully under the governments they are subject to.
Jehovah's Witnesses are a different animal. They are, according to their beliefs, not subject to any laws which oppose their interpretation of "Caesar's" laws, which is the source of their dilemmas. In the end, the powers which exist in this country and other civilized nations will, and are, prevailing against the dogmas which place our children, our minds, and our bodies at risk.
JR
