Jane Doe v. Annucci
- Ronnie Abrams
- 1:17-cv-01765
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Jane Doe v. Green, Judge Abrams adopted the damages recommendation, awarding Doe $589,042.51 and directing judgment against Green.
Jane Doe receives a total award of $589,042.51. Jeffrey Green is subject to the judgment for that amount, and the case is closed.
What happened
In Jane Doe v. Jeffrey Green, the court had already entered a default judgment after finding that Doe pleaded enough facts to support her claim that Green sexually assaulted her in prison and violated her Eighth Amendment rights.
A magistrate judge recommended awarding Doe $350,000 in compensatory damages, $200,000 in punitive damages, and $39,042.51 in attorney’s fees and costs. No party objected, and the court found no clear error in the recommendation.
Judge Ronnie Abrams adopted the recommendation in full, awarded the stated amounts, directed that judgment be entered against Green, and ordered the case closed because the other defendants had already been terminated.
The detailed version
- Jane Doe v. Annucci · No. 1:17-cv-01765
- Ronnie Abrams
- May 28, 2021
Background
On April 26, 2019, the court granted Jane Doe’s motion for a default judgment against Jeffrey Green. The court had concluded that Doe pleaded facts sufficient to support her claim that Green violated her Eighth Amendment rights by sexually assaulting her in prison. The court then referred the question of damages and attorney’s fees to Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang for an inquest, meaning a proceeding to determine the amount owed.
Report and Recommendation
Judge Wang recommended an award of $350,000 in compensatory damages, $200,000 in punitive damages, and $39,042.51 in attorney’s fees and costs, for a total of $589,042.51.
The court explained that parties may object to a magistrate judge’s report and recommendation within 14 days. Because no party filed an objection, the court reviewed the report for clear error, meaning an obvious mistake on the record. It found no clear error.
Ruling
The court adopted Judge Wang’s report and recommendation in its entirety. It awarded Doe $350,000 in compensatory damages, $200,000 in punitive damages, and $39,042.51 in attorney’s fees and costs. The Clerk of Court was directed to enter judgment against Green and close the case because all other defendants had previously been terminated. This order was an order adopting the damages recommendation after a default judgment; it was not a new contested decision on the underlying claim.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.