New York, NY — A jury awarded $1.68 billion in damages on Wednesday to 40 women who accused filmmaker James Toback of sexual misconduct spanning 35 years, according to their legal representatives. The verdict is one of the largest jury awards of its kind since the rise of the #MeToo movement and stands as a significant historical ruling in New York.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in Manhattan in 2022, following the introduction of New York state’s Adult Survivors Act, which allowed individuals to pursue legal action for past sexual offenses that may have occurred decades ago. Attorney Brad Beckworth of Nix Patterson LLP, representing the plaintiffs, stated that the substantial jury award aims to send a clear message to powerful figures who fail to treat women with respect.
As of Wednesday evening, the court had yet to release specific documentation detailing the jury’s decision. However, Beckworth noted that the verdict included $280 million in compensatory damages and $1.4 billion in punitive damages. “This verdict is about justice,” he emphasized. “More importantly, it’s about reclaiming power from abusers and their enablers, returning it to those they sought to control and silence.”
The abuse incidents identified in the case reportedly occurred between 1979 and 2014. Toback, who received an Academy Award nomination for writing the 1991 film “Bugsy,” has faced allegations of sexual misconduct since late 2017, coinciding with the heightened awareness brought by the #MeToo movement. The Los Angeles Times first detailed these allegations.
In 2018, prosecutors in Los Angeles stated that the statutes of limitations had expired in five cases they investigated, leading them to decline criminal charges against Toback. Subsequently, the plaintiffs launched their lawsuit shortly after the Adult Survivors Act took effect, revealing a pattern in Toback’s behavior of luring young women under the pretense of offering them roles in his films before subjecting them to sexual acts involving threats and psychological manipulation.
Mary Monahan, one of the lead plaintiffs, described the jury’s award as a form of validation for her and the other women involved. “For decades, I carried this trauma in silence, and today, a jury believed me. Believed us. That changes everything,” she stated. Monahan stressed the significance of the verdict as a powerful statement: “We are not disposable. We are not liars. We are not collateral damage in someone else’s power trip.”
Toback, now 80 years old, has repeatedly denied the allegations, asserting in court documents that any sexual encounter with the plaintiffs was consensual. He also challenged the constitutionality of New York’s law extending the statute of limitations on sexual abuse cases.
In January, the court issued a default judgment against Toback after he failed to appear as required. Following that, a trial was held solely to determine the financial compensation owed to the women.
This verdict potentially marks a pivotal moment within the ongoing discourse surrounding sexual abuse and accountability, highlighting the courage of survivors in seeking justice.
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