'Psychic' Ordered To Pay $6.8M

[Minnie]

Good. Maybe some of these other yahoos will tone down their crap a little. *coughSylviaBrown*cough*

Too bad the cops couldn't be sued as well.

Link

A self-described psychic who triggered a media frenzy when she told authorities a Liberty County couple had a mass grave on their property has been ordered to pay the couple $6.8 million.

A Dallas County judge issued the judgment May 7 against Presley "Rhonda" Gridley, the sole remaining defendant in a lawsuit filed a year ago. "Whether it will be collectible, we're going to pursue that," said Dallas attorney Andrew Sommerman.

He represents plaintiffs Joe Bankston and Gena Charlton in the suit that has concluded, except for efforts to collect the judgment. Gridley, 50, failed to appear in court May 7 for the bench trial before Judge Carl Ginsberg in the 193rd State District Court, records stated.

Ginsberg found that Gridley had made defamatory statements about Bankson and Charlton on June 6, 2011, when she volunteered false information to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office, claiming that a mass grave containing dismembered bodies was at the plaintiffs' home.

The defendant's false statement injured the plaintiffs' reputation and exposed them to public hatred, contempt, ridicule and financial injury, the complaint stated. For damages suffered, the judge awarded $3 million in damages to Bankson and $3,849,000 to Charlton, plus 5 percent interest from the date of the occurrence in 2011.

The suit alleges that Gridley called the Liberty County Sheriff's Office and falsely claimed that 25 to 30 dismembered bodies were buried in a mass grave at the plaintiffs' residence.

The sheriff's office repeated the false statements to various news media organizations and provided the plaintiff's address, the suit states.

"Over the course of the day, media defendants began to exaggerate and eventually make up facts about Plaintiffs, including that a mass grave existed on the property, including the bodies of children," the suit states.

Media reports based upon false claims of found bodies were circulated worldwide, the suit said. When initially filed, the suit's defendants included Liberty County and six media outlets, which over time were dismissed.

[Oling_Roachinen]

This will only prevent other gifted individuals from coming forward with their powers.

[Regulator75]

Hopefully she can predict the next Powerball numbers to pay it off.

[GGG]

Did the psychic go to the media? If not she should only be guilty of a false police report. The police should have done a routine investigation and closed the case.

[Dion]

[troutman]

A woman called me wanting to sue a newspaper for discrimination for refusing to run her psychic services ads. I told her she might have a case, if she could prove that she was psychic. I asked her to tell me what I was thinking, and she hung up the phone. Anyone could have guessed what I was thinking.

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by Minnie

For damages suffered, the judge awarded $3 million in damages to Bankson and $3,849,000 to Charlton, plus 5 percent interest from the date of the occurrence in 2011.

Wow! Five percent interest!

[Hack&Lube]

Shouldn't the sheriff's office shoulder some blame as well for stupidly repeating the false statements to various news media organizations and provided the plaintiff's address, the suit states.

[Rudee]