$325 Million Verdict for Child Sexual Abuse Survivor in Bexar County
After trial: The verdict is against an individual defendant and is largely uncollectable.
Won by The Carlson Law Firm.
A San Antonio jury returned the largest sexual assault verdict in U.S. history against a sole assailant, awarding $325 million to a child sexually abused by her grandfather over multiple years.
What happened
Between the ages of five and eight, a young girl was repeatedly sexually assaulted by her grandfather, Steve Kou, a businessman in the San Antonio area. The abuse came to light shortly before the child turned nine, when she disclosed what had happened. A medical examination confirmed she had contracted herpes, an incurable sexually transmitted disease she carried as a permanent consequence of the abuse.
Kou was criminally prosecuted and convicted. A Texas court sentenced him to 60 years in prison for the sexual abuse. In May 2018, the family filed a civil lawsuit against him, seeking accountability in a separate forum, and the case was docketed in Bexar County as case no. 2018CI08789.
The Carlson Law Firm joined lead counsel Jacob Zachary Mancha of Mancha Law to represent the plaintiff in the civil trial. Kou elected to represent himself, advancing alternative theories about how the child could have contracted the STD and calling a minister as a character witness on his own behalf.
The jury heard the full record of abuse and deliberated before returning a verdict of $125 million for the child's pain and suffering and $200 million in punitive damages, totaling $325 million. The plaintiff's attorneys had asked for $125 million in each category; the jury awarded an additional $75 million in exemplary damages beyond that request. Judge Nadine Nieto signed and entered final judgment on July 20, 2023.
At the time of the verdict, it was recognized as the largest sexual assault award in Texas history and the largest against a sole, individual assailant in U.S. history. Steve Kou remains in prison serving the 60-year criminal sentence.
Sources
This account is drawn from contemporaneous public reporting and the court record.
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