Jane Doe vs. Alkiviades David, et al.
- Court: California State, Los Angeles County, Superior Court
- Case Number: 20STCV37498
- Filed: September 30, 2020
- Judges: Christopher K. Lui | Barbara M. Scheper | Mel Red Recana
- Case Type: (1117) Wrongful Termination (General Jurisdiction); Civil
Parties Involved
- Plaintiff(s):Jane Doe
- Counsel for Plaintiff: Gary A. Dordick, Esq. | Dustin Moaven, Esq| Ebby S. Bakhtiar, Esq. | Justin M. Kirk, Esq
- Defendant(s):David Alkiviades aka Alki David | FilmOn.TV Inc. | FilmOn.TV LA Inc. | FilmOn.TV Networks Inc. | Hologram USA Entertainment Inc. | Hologram USA Inc. aka Hologram USA Productions Inc. aka Hologram USA Entertainment Inc. aka FilmOn.TV Inc. aka FilmOn.TV Networks Inc. aka FilmOn.TV LA Inc. | SwissX Labs AG Inc. aka SwissX Lounge aka FilmOnTV UK Ltd.
- Counsel for Defendants: Fred D. Heather| Aaron P. Allan | Jillian P. Harris
Verdict Information
- Verdict Date:June 17, 2024
- Total Damages awarded to Plaintiff: $900 million
- Punitive damages: $800 million
- Compensatory damages: $100 million
About the Case
Cause
Jane Doe, an adult woman working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, filed a lawsuit against her former employer, Alkiviades David, also known as Alki David, and his related companies: Hologram USA, Inc., Hologram USA Productions, Inc., Hologram USA Entertainment, Inc., Filmon.TV, Inc., Filmon.TV Networks, Inc., Filmon.TV LA, Inc., Swissx Labs AG, Inc., and others. The complaint alleged that David, the owner and principal of these interrelated businesses, subjected Doe to a pattern of egregious sexual harassment, sexual assault, battery, false imprisonment, and ultimately a violent rape during her employment.
According to the lawsuit, David’s misconduct began soon after Doe was hired in November 2015, with inappropriate sexual comments, unwanted touching, and efforts to intimidate and desensitize her to his misbehavior. The harassment escalated over time, with incidents such as David cutting off a lock of Doe’s hair without her consent. In one disturbing incident in 2018, David allegedly coerced Doe into ingesting an oil that made her feel intoxicated, and then forcibly held her while masturbating onto her.
The complaint described the harrowing rape incident occurring on April 21, 2019. David allegedly lured Doe to a small, dark server room in the company’s theater under the guise of business discussions. Once inside, he pinned her against the door, groped her, tried to remove her pants despite her protests, and ultimately raped her vaginally while muffling her mouth. Doe stated she feared resisting further might provoke violence or prompt David’s dog to attack.
Doe asserted that David’s conduct was directly motivated by her gender, creating a hostile and abusive work environment in violation of her civil rights and California’s anti-discrimination laws. She alleged that David’s companies were aware of his propensity for harassment yet failed to take corrective action, instead aiding and ratifying his behavior.
Injury
Plaintiff suffered serious injuries when Alki David forcibly raped her. He violently grabbed her, pinned her against a door, groped her, and forcibly penetrated her vagina with his erect penis despite her repeated objections and efforts to resist him. During the rape, he cupped his hand over her mouth to silence her protests. The violent sexual assault caused Plaintiff to suffer extreme emotional distress, mental anguish, anxiety, fear, embarrassment, humiliation, and shame. David’s unlawful and reprehensible conduct directly inflicted severe physical and emotional harm on Plaintiff.
Damages
The lawsuit sought monetary damages, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and other remedies for causes of action including sexual assault, battery, false imprisonment, civil rights violations, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Jury Verdict
A unanimous jury awarded plaintiff Jane Doe a total of $900 million—$100 million in compensatory damages and $800 million in punitive damages—against Alkiviades David for sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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