A jury in New York delivered a landmark verdict on Wednesday, awarding $1.68 billion to 40 women who accused filmmaker and screenwriter James Toback of committing sexual misconduct and other offenses across a span of 35 years, according to the attorneys representing the accusers. This monumental decision stems from a lawsuit filed in 2022 in Manhattan following a new state law that allowed individuals a one-year period to lodge claims of sexual assault, irrespective of how long ago the incidents occurred.
The award represents one of the largest jury verdicts in the wake of the #MeToo movement, and ranks among the most significant in New York state’s history, claimed Brad Beckworth, an attorney with Nix Patterson LLP, during an interview. The plaintiffs, he remarked, see this substantial verdict as a clear message to influential individuals who exploit their power and treat women improperly.
Official court documents detailing the verdict had not yet been released by Wednesday night. Beckworth mentioned that the jury’s decision included $280 million designated for compensatory damages and an additional $1.4 billion allocated for punitive damages.
“This verdict is about justice,” Beckworth iterated in a statement, emphasizing its significance beyond compensation. “More crucially, it is about reclaiming power from abusers and returning it to those they aimed to dominate and silence.” According to Beckworth, the acts of abuse transpired between 1979 and 2014.
James Toback, who received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay of the 1991 film “Bugsy,” has had a presence in the Hollywood industry for over four decades. Allegations about his inappropriate sexual conduct surfaced in late 2017, coinciding with the rise of the #MeToo movement, initially brought to light by the Los Angeles Times.
In 2018, Los Angeles prosecutors decided not to pursue criminal charges against Toback, citing the expiration of the statute of limitations in the cases reviewed. However, following the enactment of New York’s Adult Survivors Act, the plaintiffs proceeded with a lawsuit shortly afterward. Attorneys uncovered a consistent pattern in Toback’s actions, alleging he misled young women in New York with false promises of roles in films, subsequently subjecting them to sexual acts, threats, and psychological abuse.
Mary Monahan, one of the leading plaintiffs, expressed that the jury’s decision serves as “validation” for herself and fellow survivors. “For decades, I bore this trauma in silence, and today, a jury believes me. They believe us. That shifts everything,” she stated. “This verdict transcends a mere number — it’s a proclamation. We are not expendable. We are not deceitful. We are not collateral in someone else’s quest for power. The world now recognizes the truth we’ve always known: what he did was very real.”
Toback, 80, who had represented himself, consistently denied any wrongdoing in court documents, maintaining that any intimate encounters with the plaintiffs were consensual. Additionally, he argued that New York’s statute of limitations law on sexual abuse violated his constitutional rights.
A request for comments sent to an email address associated with Toback did not receive an immediate response. Earlier this year in January, the presiding judge rendered a default judgment against Toback, following his failure to appear in court. Subsequently, a trial focused solely on determining the damages he owed the women was scheduled, culminating in the recent verdict.