Lawmakers approve $20 million for Jaycee

[BeenaBobba]

It isn't a precendent since it wasn't a decision reached in the courts, it was a bill passed by the legislature. Basically a one time deal, they aren't going to do this for everyone.

You do have a good point about it not being a legal precedent, but could it be considered a legislative precedent? For example, Amber Dubois' family filed a claim similar to Jaycee's asking for amounts in excess of $25,000. Will the legislature award her family $20 million, and if not, why not? How will they be able to rationalize giving $20 million to one family and not to another?

 

[kbl8201]

The precedent that has been set -- that is, the precedent that you can be awarded millions upon millions of dollars if a government official or agency screws up. The sad fact is that government officials screw up all the time. I mean, if government officials screw up to the point where five people are hurt, maimed, or killed due to their negligence, that's potentially hundreds of millions going to five people while scores of ordinary citizens are struggling to make ends meet after getting laid off due to lack of funding. I'm not so much against victims being compensated as I am against countless innocent people having to suffer the consequences.



Yes, but not just because of this settlement. Because of the numerous settlements that could follow based on this example. And I'm sure there will be. After all, why not?



Both. Without a doubt, both. But I just don't see how awarding huge settlements is going to solve this problem. If anything, it could make it worse. Like all government workers, police officers suffer from budget cuts. Less police officers potentially = more crime, which could potentially = more settlements, which could of course = more difficulty for the average citizen. It could be a vicious circle, know what I mean?



Totally agree. But you need money to overhaul the parole review board and to make real changes. My point is that the state of CA will not have the money to make -- and more importantly, to enforce -- these changes if millions are paid to victims in this manner henceforth.



But how? You know I love you to pieces, KBL, but I don't necessarily agree with you on this. It's all good, though. It ain't personal; it's business.

see my next post for my answer

 

[BeenaBobba]

does it set a precendent? maybe. or maybe it wakes up lawmakers, parole and probation and judges that these slimeballs should NEVER get out in the first place. if you elminate the problem of the criminal, then you dont have the problem of the settlement anymore, right?

Human nature being what it is, there will always be mistakes. It's unfortunate and tragic, but it's true. And to effectively eliminate the problem of the criminal, you need to have a strong police force and a strong corrections department, both of which require money to operate.

 

[Natal]

You do have a good point about it not being a legal precedent, but could it be considered a legislative precedent? For example, Amber Dubois' family filed a claim similar to Jaycee's asking for amounts in excess of $25,000. Will the legislature award her family $20 million, and if not, why not? How will they be able to rationalize giving $20 million to one family and not to another?

It is simple, they will just decline at the arbitration stage and allow it to go to court where they would probably win. And if claims did get out of hand they would claim imminent domain or pass legislation regulating what can be claimed and under what circumstances.

 

[kbl8201]

Human nature being what it is, there will always be mistakes. It's unfortunate and tragic, but it's true. And to effectively eliminate the problem of the criminal, you need to have a strong police force and a strong corrections department, both of which require money to operate.

I Would suggest mistakes have never been this brutal.

but really, what do you want? jaycee to give the money back?

 

[BeenaBobba]

It is simple, they will just decline at the arbitration stage and allow it to go to court where they would probably win.

That's certainly possible, but as was the case with Jaycee's claim, they may feel that allowing it to go to court could be too big a gamble. That is, like with Jaycee's case, they could feel that it would be less expensive to award the victim $20 million as opposed to $100 million or more. But still, that would be $20 million of the taxpayers' money.

And if claims did get out of hand they would claim imminent domain or pass legislation regulating what can be claimed and under what circumstances.

Actually, I don't think legislation would be a bad idea at all. In fact, I think that could prevent this from potentially getting out of control.

 

[kbl8201]

oh for the record natal, the settlement was made in leiu of the claim that terry and jaycee filed in february.

 

[BeenaBobba]

I Would suggest mistakes have never been this brutal.

Maybe, but maybe not. Getting kidnapped by a sicko like Garrido and being forced to live in his backyard for eighteen years is pretty damn bad, and there's not much worse than that, but getting killed is worse, I would say.

but really, what do you want? jaycee to give the money back?

No, definitely not. What's done is done, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it. You know, if it had been a private agency that did Jaycee wrong, I would have wholeheartedly supported her suing their pants off. I just don't think a huge settlement like this (and possible future ones to follow) is fair to the taxpayers. As much as I love and support Jaycee, I just don't feel it would be right to put her needs above theirs. I think she would have been able to live quite comfortably on $5 million. Plus, if she writes a book or agrees to a movie deal, the settlement wouldn't have been needed, which makes it even more difficult for taxpayers. As a side note, I am happy that she will never have to sell her story if she doesn't want to. Like I've said, it's not so much the fact that she has money that I oppose; it's the fact that innocent people have to pay for it. That's why I've got mixed feelings about this whole thing. On the one hand, I'm happy for her, but on the other, I can see why people would find it unfair.

 

[kbl8201]

i dont know. 18 years of that might be considered a fate worse then death, wouldnt you agree?

i just think this is an extrodianary case that needed extrodinary measures.

and i dont really know if 5 million might do. heck how many bills have they wrong up in the last 310 days already?

 

[FlaJohn]

I don't think 20 million for 3 victims (1 who suffered rape and imprisonment for 18 years and 2 others that were victims their entire lives) is excessive. IMO this settlement is similar to the amount that inmates get who are cleared after wrongfully spending decades in prison. They also get millions which is fair IMO.

The money will help no doubt but it can never undue the damages done.

 

[Cubby]

I don't think 20 million for 3 victims (1 who suffered rape and imprisonment for 18 years and 2 others that were victims their entire lives) is excessive. IMO this settlement is similar to the amount that inmates get who are cleared after wrongfully spending decades in prison. They also get millions which is fair IMO.

The money will help no doubt but it can never undue the damages done.

18 years of imprisonment by a parolee starting when Jaycee was only 11.
She bore two of parolee's children.
20 million divided by 3.



The state of California got off easy on this one.... very very easy.

In reality, how fast would 20 million go in insurance?

6.5 million each for Jaycee and each of her children for an ordeal they will live most of their lives. People watch professional sports players negotiate more than that for 1-3 years of work.

The state got a fantastic deal.

God Bless Jaycee and her children for accepting this settlement.
I think they deserved closer to a 6 figure settlement from the state. In relation to how sue happy people are for far lesser ordeals.

JMO

 

[songline]

i think its easy to be objective when its not your family. not so easy when its not.

now some people would say im obssessed with this case (hi song!) and maybe i am. maybe its cause i prefer a happy ending to all the other cases here, most notably, caylee that end in disaster. but the 'happy ending' doesnt negate the horrible 18 years that proceeded it. and 20 million, 50 million, 700 trillion wont ever make up for that lost time. but it will give them a start they all badly need, not just jaycee and her girls, but terry, shayna, carl, all of them.

does it set a precendent? maybe. or maybe it wakes up lawmakers, parole and probation and judges that these slimeballs should NEVER get out in the first place. if you elminate the problem of the criminal, then you dont have the problem of the settlement anymore, right?

Hi Kbl Yes I was thinking when I heard that she is getting 20 M that obsessed KBL with be so happy he will be walking on air LOL (did you come off the helium yet?) ANYWAY I was elated too. I think no amount of money will undo the damage that was done, but it will help to cope and adjust.
As far as the state of California who has unleashed 17,000 criminals, pedophiles, from prisons so that
the revolving doors keep on revolving (It is only a matter of time they will be in jail again - but not before some child or adults life has been changed for ever) Worried about job loss, at the expense of innocent lives. :waitasec: Baffling, irrational, inhuman decisions.
ONLY DAMAGE will happen to lives. LET THEM PAY, LET THEM PAY REGULARY AND LET THEM PAY LARGE. Like Judge Judy may say Beauty fads STPID is forever. THEY PUT PEOPLE IN HARMS WAY - LET THEM PAY. I think the terminator should open up a Mr. Universe Gym, But as for running California, it is run into the ground. YAP his muscles in the penthouse (brains) are not flexing too well.

 

[LinasK]

Maybe, but maybe not. Getting kidnapped by a sicko like Garrido and being forced to live in his backyard for eighteen years is pretty damn bad, and there's not much worse than that, but getting killed is worse, I would say.



No, definitely not. What's done is done, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it. You know, if it had been a private agency that did Jaycee wrong, I would have wholeheartedly supported her suing their pants off. I just don't think a huge settlement like this (and possible future ones to follow) is fair to the taxpayers. As much as I love and support Jaycee, I just don't feel it would be right to put her needs above theirs. I think she would have been able to live quite comfortably on $5 million. Plus, if she writes a book or agrees to a movie deal, the settlement wouldn't have been needed, which makes it even more difficult for taxpayers. As a side note, I am happy that she will never have to sell her story if she doesn't want to. Like I've said, it's not so much the fact that she has money that I oppose; it's the fact that innocent people have to pay for it. That's why I've got mixed feelings about this whole thing. On the one hand, I'm happy for her, but on the other, I can see why people would find it unfair.

If??? That's what I have a problem with. I highly doubt Jaycee really wants to sell the intimate details of what that sicko did to her for public consumption. She's remained in seclusion, she's NOT out to make a buck on it. Anna Nicole Smith was the textbook definition of a golddigger- a far cry from Jaycee! I live in the state of California, and I have no idea how my state will pay for it, but believe me, Jaycee deserves every penny of it!:twocents:

 

[BeenaBobba]

i dont know. 18 years of that might be considered a fate worse then death, wouldnt you agree?

That's a tough one, KBL, and I think it's relative. Personally, I would rather die than be subjected to extreme sensory deprivation for a month, but it's possible that others would disagree with me; however, I don't think Jaycee's situation is worse than death. Obviously, it was horrible beyond belief, but she has so much potential. She can smile; she has the chance to go to college; she has the chance to fall in love and get married; she can hug and be hugged by her family and friends; she will have the opportunity to grow old. People like Caylee Anthony, Amber Dubois, Chelsea King, and countless others will never even have that chance. Their family will never be able to hold them or touch them or smile at them again. So yes, I do think death is worse.

and i dont really know if 5 million might do. heck how many bills have they wrong up in the last 310 days already?

I don't know about that. What with the trust fund, the People spread, and the ABC videos, they probably earned a pretty decent amount this year. As for $5 million, I think it would have gone a long way. At a 3% rate, the interest alone would be $150K/year. You know, I've read some people suggest that the state should have paid for Jaycee and her family's therapy bills and their education for the rest of their lives. I think that would have been fair, and I don't think that would have been nearly as controversial as giving her $20 million.

 

[kbl8201]

That's a tough one, KBL, and I think it's relative. Personally, I would rather die than be subjected to extreme sensory deprivation for a month, but it's possible that others would disagree with me; however, I don't think Jaycee's situation is worse than death. Obviously, it was horrible beyond belief, but she has so much potential. She can smile; she has the chance to go to college; she has the chance to fall in love and get married; she can hug and be hugged by her family and friends; she will have the opportunity to grow old. People like Caylee Anthony, Amber Dubois, Chelsea King, and countless others will never even have that chance. Their family will never be able to hold them or touch them or smile at them again. So yes, I do think death is worse.



I don't know about that. What with the trust fund, the People spread, and the ABC videos, they probably earned a pretty decent amount this year. As for $5 million, I think it would have gone a long way. At a 3% rate, the interest alone would be $150K/year. You know, I've read some people suggest that the state should have paid for Jaycee and her family's therapy bills and their education for the rest of their lives. I think that would have been fair, and I don't think that would have been nearly as controversial as giving her $20 million.

well jaycee and her family werent dead. but they were all in limbo. or hell, take your pick, for 18 years. and terry never knew whether or not she WOULD ever get to hold jaycee again. most everybody gave her up for dead anyways.......

i agree on amber and chelsea but sadly i dont think anyone in caylee's disgusting family even cares about her. i think they've pretty much proved that already

 

[kbl8201]

Hi Kbl Yes I was thinking when I heard that she is getting 20 M that obsessed KBL with be so happy he will be walking on air LOL (did you come off the helium yet?) ANYWAY I was elated too. I think no amount of money will undo the damage that was done, but it will help to cope and adjust.
As far as the state of California who has unleashed 17,000 criminals, pedophiles, from prisons so that
the revolving doors keep on revolving (It is only a matter of time they will be in jail again - but not before some child or adults life has been changed for ever) Worried about job loss, at the expense of innocent lives. :waitasec: Baffling, irrational, inhuman decisions.
ONLY DAMAGE will happen to lives. LET THEM PAY, LET THEM PAY REGULARY AND LET THEM PAY LARGE. Like Judge Judy may say Beauty fads STPID is forever. THEY PUT PEOPLE IN HARMS WAY - LET THEM PAY. I think the terminator should open up a Mr. Universe Gym, But as for running California, it is run into the ground. YAP his muscles in the penthouse (brains) are not flexing too well.

im very happy for her and her family. i dont really care if its unpopular either. people are charitable up until they have to actually open there wallets, know what i mean?

i also think the state of california did this more as a stategic move then out of the 'goodness' of there 'hearts.' tactically its brilliant. if you dole out 20 million to the dugards/probyns, its not very likely she is gonna sue you now without massive backlash right?

and they still dont admit they all messed up, either.

but all that matters is jaycee, her girls, and her mom dont have to worry about where there gonna live, what education they'll get, if they'll have health insurance, how much they need for therapy.

and maybe they can take that long planned trip to disneyland

 

[BeenaBobba]

If??? That's what I have a problem with. I highly doubt Jaycee really wants to sell the intimate details of what that sicko did to her for public consumption.

She may not decide to sell her story, and personally, I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't. As I've said in this very thread, I am glad she won't have to do that to make ends meet. At the same time, speculation that she may write a book in the future isn't new or out of left field. In fact, there are several posts on this board discussing the possibility. The People story even went so far as to say that Jaycee may collaborate on a book with her mom. So while I tend to agree with you on this, I don't think any of us can say what Jaycee may choose to do in the future.

Anna Nicole Smith was the textbook definition of a golddigger- a far cry from Jaycee!

No one here is saying or suggesting that about Jaycee. I certainly don't think that about her.

I live in the state of California, and I have no idea how my state will pay for it, but believe me, Jaycee deserves every penny of it!:twocents:

Your state will pay for it out of the General Fund, which is funded by the taxpayers, of course. But like I've said, it's not so much the idea that Jaycee is being compensated that bothers people; it's the amount, which is seen as excessive amid the number of people getting laid off due to budget cuts and the number of people struggling to put food on the table. Teachers, firefighters, and police officers are getting laid off. As a matter of fact, CA is in such dire financial straits that Arnold Schwarzenegger has recently cut state workers' wages down to the federal minimum wage. CA is expensive, and I'd imagine that it would be very difficult to support a family on that.

Another thing is that police departments are struggling with funding. Like I said before, how can you properly fight crime and prevent something like this from happening again if you don't have enough resources to do so? What about the resources needed to find other missing kids? If the police department is struggling, this could take a hit as well.

Of course, none of this is Jaycee's fault, and of course, she deserves $20 million and more, just as federal workers who have families to support deserve to be able to feed their families, just as Amber Dubois' family deserves $20 million or more for CA's mistakes, just as police departments deserve funding to look for other missing kids, etc., etc. If there was a magical money tree growing in CA, I would wholeheartedly support picking that puppy bare to give everyone everything they need and deserve. Unfortunately, that tree doesn't exist, and unfortunately, you can't give such a large amount to one family without countless others suffering the consequences. Had Jaycee been given $5 million instead, how many teachers' salaries would have $15 million funded, and how many children would have benefited from that? So no, I don't oppose the taxpayers providing for people in need; I just think that more than one family should be able to benefit from such a large sum of money.

 

[BeenaBobba]

well jaycee and her family werent dead. but they were all in limbo. or hell, take your pick, for 18 years. and terry never knew whether or not she WOULD ever get to hold jaycee again. most everybody gave her up for dead anyways.......

Yes, but that eighteen years had an ending. I'm sure it was hell for Jaycee and her family, there's no doubt about that. But Amber's family's suffering will never end.

i dont think anyone in caylee's disgusting family even cares about her. i think they've pretty much proved that already

Not that this is funny, but I kind of laughed when I typed that because when I thought about it, I was like, "Well ..." LOL. Poor Caylee, though.

 

[BeenaBobba]

IMO this settlement is similar to the amount that inmates get who are cleared after wrongfully spending decades in prison. They also get millions which is fair IMO.

You sometimes hear about wrongfully convicted inmates receiving large, multi-million dollar settlements, but I don't know if that's the norm. According to this site, wrongfully convicted inmates from CA receive about $36,500 for each year they were incarcerated. Generally, they would receive around $675,000 for eighteen years.

 

[kbl8201]

Yes, but that eighteen years had an ending. I'm sure it was hell for Jaycee and her family, there's no doubt about that. But Amber's family's suffering will never end.



Not that this is funny, but I kind of laughed when I typed that because when I thought about it, I was like, "Well ..." LOL. Poor Caylee, though.

it was a poor analogy, i expect better from you

btw when i was doing research for my case in vegas, i found out in england, they actually fine exonerated inmates for 'freeloading' off the goverment while imprisoned :waitasec: