$ 20 million settlement to go to Jaycee Lee Dugard and children

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 didn’t investigate Phillip Garrido’s residence more, 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 easily with a 30-1 vote within the California Senate and 62-0 within the California Assembly.

Source of article: Jaycee Lee Dugard and kids receive $ 20 million settlement by Personal Money Store

Jaycee Lee Dugard 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 help Jaycee Dugard purchase 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 might prevent others from going through a comparable ordeal. As outlined by department’s report, “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 seemed to have a case against Dugard

While California State officials thought that they had enough data 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 are disastrous. The state decided against passing the buck and claiming that it was the responsibility of federal parole officers (instead of California State parole officers).

Citations:

CNN

cnn.com/2010/CRIME/07/01/california.dugard/?hpt=T1

AP report on $ 20 million Dugard settlement:

youtube.com/watch?v=nr7xF52DMRU