Hope Cheston was awarded a $1 billion verdict by a Georgia jury against a security company after an apartment complex guard was convicted of raping the then-14-year-old girl.
Attorney L. Chris Stewart represents the girl's mother. Stewart says the teen was outside by some picnic tables with her boyfriend in October 2012 when an armed security guard approached. Stewart says the guard told the boyfriend not to move and raped the girl.
The guard is identified in the lawsuit as Brandon Lamar Zachary. He was convicted of statutory rape and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
A judge had already determined that Zachary's employer, Crime Prevention Agency, was liable.
The company couldn't be reached for comment.
Cheston spoke to reporters after the verdict was announced.
"It showed just human kindness in its purest form," she said. "Them coming up to me and speaking to me and hugging me and giving me reassuring words like, 'Keep doing what you're doing. You're worth something. Despite what he did to you, you're going to come out stronger and wiser and just a beautiful individual.' … Everyone in this situation really uplifted me."
Georgia State University law professor Jessica Gabel Cino says the verdict will likely be appealed and subsequently reduced.
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