Follow Newser on Twitter   Friend Newser on Facebook
Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Jaycee Dugard Sues Feds for 'Gross Neglect' in Kidnap Case

Parole officials failed to keep track of Phillip Garrido, she says

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 22, 2011 7:24 PM CDT

(Newser) – Jaycee Dugard is suing the federal government for failing to keep track of Phillip Garrido, the parolee who held her captive for 18 years and fathered two children by her, reports CNN. Her complaint states that the Justice Department's "gross neglect borders on virtual complicity," notes the Los Angeles Times. The suit doesn't specify a damage amount and says any funds would go to the nonprofit JAYC Foundation, which helps families of abducted children.

"Had federal parole authorities demonstrated a modicum of vigilance-–indeed, had they simply performed their duties and obligations as required by federal law and internal policies, Jaycee and her daughters would not have been forced to endure a virtual lifetime of physical and mental abuse from a detonated ‘time bomb,'" the complaint reads. Dugard previously got a $20 million settlement from the state of California.

A 2009 family photo of Jaycee Lee Dugard.
A 2009 family photo of Jaycee Lee Dugard.   (AP Photo/Carl Probyn, File)
Nancy and Phillip Garrido in court.
Nancy and Phillip Garrido in court.   (AP photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool, File)
In this July 1 photo, Diane Sawyer, left, speaks with Jaycee Dugard.
In this July 1 photo, Diane Sawyer, left, speaks with Jaycee Dugard.   (AP Photo/ABC News)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
2%
5%
1%
73%
3%
16%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 11 comments
Outrageous
Sep 23, 2011 12:48 AM CDT
Great, thanks for taking more tax payer money.  Why not just start an awareness campaign and ask for donations from those who really want to give, instead of taking from all citizens?  I feel for you, Jaycee, but isn't the $20M the Californian taxpayers gave enough to fund your crusade?  How are government agencies going to have enough funds to visit every single miscreant in the US (and there are MANY), if they continually have to shell it out to unfortunate victims with an axe to grind?  After all, it's the silver-tongued lawyers that make out in the end.
Person12345
Sep 22, 2011 10:50 PM CDT
Jaycee and her children deserve every dime they can get.  I just hope the courts don't slow down to a crawl and take years to settle this.  She needs to have everything associated with her past life closed and finished, so she can move forward.  So many people failed at their jobs and she should have never been subjected to 18 years of the hell she went through.  I hope she gets another $20 million.
cheongyei
Sep 22, 2011 9:50 PM CDT
Good for her.  If the feds turn out to be complicit, that should be worth a million or two.  After all, just because parole officers don't give a damn doesn't mean that their employer can share that attitude.

 
lawsuit • Phillip Garrido • Nancy Garrido • Jaycee Dugard

More Newser Stories

Video Shows Nancy Garrido Luring Girl Into Van

Jaycee Dugard: I Can Finally Say My Name

Jaycee: Escape Impossible After Girls Were Born

Garrido Used Stun Gun Before Raping Jaycee

Angry Jaycee Rues 'Stolen' Life as Garridos Sentenced
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   Geek Sugar   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment