The New York jury grant $ 1.68 billion to women who accused the writer and director James Tupac of sexual assault

On Wednesday, a jury in New York granted $ 1.68 billion, as compensation to 40 women accused the writer and director James Tupac of sexual assault and other crimes over 35 years, according to lawyers who represent the plaintiffs.

The decision stems from a lawsuit filed in Manhattan in 2022 after New York State has set a one -year window to people to file lawsuits for sexual assault claims even if it happened decades ago.

Lawyer Brad Piccrant, from the law firm Nix Patterson LLP, said in an interview, that he represented one of the largest jury awards since the emergence of #Metoo movement, as well as in the history of New York State. He said that the prosecutors believe that this great ruling will send a message to strong individuals “they do not treat women appropriately.”

The court has not yet issued the ruling documents from Wednesday night. Piccore said that the ruling included 280 million dollars in compensatory damage and 1.4 billion dollars for the punitive damage to the plaintiffs.

“This ruling revolves around justice,” Picrator said in a statement. “But more importantly, it is about restoring power from the aggressors – and their elements and empowerment factors – and returning it to those who tried to control it and silence.”

Piccores said that ill -treatment took place between 1979 and 2014.

Tobback was nominated for the 1991 “Bugsy” writing award, and his career in Hollywood extended for more than 40 years. The accusations that participated in years of sexual assault appeared in late 2017, when the #Metoo movement gained attention. It was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

In 2018, General Prosecutors in Los Angeles said that the laws of restrictions had ended in five cases they reviewed, and they refused to raise criminal charges against Tupac.

Then the prosecutors filed a lawsuit in New York a few days after the adult survivors law began. Lawyers said they had discovered a pattern of Toback in an attempt to attract young women in the streets of New York to meet him through promising roles in his films, then they are exposed to sexual acts, threats and psychological coercion.

Mary Monohn, the main prosecutor in the case, described the jury award for her “health verification” and other women.

“For decades, I made this shock in silence, and today, the jury has believed me. I believed us. This changes everything,” she said in a statement. “This ruling is more than the number – it is an advertisement. We are not available. We are not liars. We are not side effects on the journey of the strength of another person. The world now knows what we always knew: what he did was real.”

Tobback, 80, who was recently represented by himself, denied several times in the court documents that he “committed any sexual crime” and that “any sexual intercourse or contact between the prosecutor and the defendant was by mutual consent.”

He also argued that the New York Law, which extends the statute of limitations on sexual assault cases, violates his constitutional rights.

A message was not sent to a message that was sent to an email address listed with a comment request.

In January, the judge in the case issued a virtual ruling against Tupac, who failed to appear before the court when he ordered this. Then the judge set a trial for damage only last month to determine the amount that was on Tobback paid for women.