A man has been found guilty of drugging his wife for sex, on more than one occasion, and been ordered by a jury to pay her $405,000, as reported by the Bay Area News Group for The Oakland Tribune.
The now divorced couple, Rick B. and Rinske B., were embroiled in the civil trial in San Mateo County that centered on claims of domestic violence.
Rick B. is the cofounder of Venture Partners.
The couple have four children together.
Chuck Smith, attorney for Rick B., said, "Lies, innuendo, insinuation carried the day. It's a very bad decision."
Smith had contended that the plaintiff was only pursuing the lawsuit as she wanted to gain more money from her divorce settlement.
Rick B. had readily admitted in court to drugging his wife by slipping crushed Ambien sleeping pills into her wine - because, Smith claimed, his client hoped their sexual unions would reignite some of the passion they had lost over the years of their marriage.
There were two occasions, both in the spring of 2007, that Rick B. drugged his wife and then had sex with her.
After the verdict, Todd Emanuel, the attorney for Rinske B., said, "It took a tremendous amount of courage for Rinske to stand up to this bully. She knew he would use power, money and control tactics to try to keep this from happening."
Emanuel contended that Rinske B.'s ex-husband had exerted a pattern of control over his ex-wife that included incidents of abuse.
Smith said that his client was deeply in love with his wife and earnestly believed that the drug would work as an aphrodisiac.
When Rinske B. found out that she had been drugged, she told the jury, she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. She filed her lawsuit in March of 2010.
Smith said, "My client tried hard to save his marriage, and, as humans do, made a foolish mistake in an effort to calm a volatile situation. Mr. (Rick B.) holds out hope that his ex-wife will stop trying to improve a generous divorce settlement to financially benefit herself at the expense of their children and Mr. (Rick B.) reputation."
Of the 12-person jury, 10 voted in favor of Rinske B. and two voted against her. Due to this being a civil and not criminal trial, only 9 of 12 jurors needed to agree with the plaintiff.
With that said, the burden of proof is substantially lessened.
One juror, R.L.F., 46, didn't believe Rinske B. and thought that her case was truly a battle to gain more money from her ex-spouse.
B.P., another juror, felt that Rinske B. had indeed suffered emotional damage at the hands of her former spouse. He said, "Even he (Rick B.) admits that he did something bad to her."
Smith has promised to appeal the jury's verdict.
If you believe that you have been hurt, with or without your knowledge, by the actions of another party, you have grounds for a lawsuit. Contact a personal injury attorney today!