Jamie Leigh Jones Rape Suit: Jury Rules in Favor of KBR
A federal jury rejected claims by Jamie Leigh Jones, who says she was gang-raped as a KBR employee in Iraq and then mistreated by the company.
Jamie Leigh Jones had a long wait for her day in court.
The jury found she was not raped, and KBR did not commit fraud.
Jones, 26, sued KBR/Halliburton over what happened in July 2005 in Baghdad, saying she had been given a date-rape drug and then raped by several men. She said KBR confined her to a shipping container after the incident, with minimal bread and food provided.
Jones's attorney, Ron Estefan, told the jury in final arguments that she should be awarded as much as five percent of KBR's net worth in actual or punitive damages, a figure which could be over $100 million.
KBR's attorneys told the jury Jones's story was not true.
"I am asking you to reject that fiction," KBR defense lawyer Joanne Vorpahl told jurors in closing statements.
KBR fought the suit by saying that Jones's employment contract required arbitration, a claim that resulted in Minnesota Senator Al Franken leading a fight to ensure defense contractors could not have mandatory arbitration clauses in their contracts.
Jones also testified before Congress, and started an organization called The Jamie Leigh Foundation, which helps crime victims.
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