By JIM BUTLER
The Louisiana Supreme Court has denied a hearing in a civil case stemming from a man’s sexual behavior with a Woodworth girl during a 2021 Thanksgiving Friday sleepover.
On Tuesday four justices rejected the defendants’ petition on the basis of untimely filing within the court’s rules. Three would have granted hearing.
The suit filed by the then-about-13-year-old victim’s parents now returns to Ninth District Judge Monique Rauls.
(Rapides Parish Journal elects to not name the parents in the belief doing so would allow ready identification of the victim.) The 3rd Circuit ruled this past February that Rauls correctly dismissed Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance from the action against Steven and Tricia Michot, in whose home the offense by their son Jacob, 19 at the time, occurred.
The victim’s parents allege the defendant parents allowed an unsafe environment, failed to properly supervise, failed to know about their son’s propensity, and allowed alcohol to be served the six girls present.
In March 2022 the son was charged with sex crimes involving minors that occurred from May 2021 to January 2022.
Subsequently Jacob negotiated a guilty plea and is serving a 25-year sentence, no early out.
At the 3rd Circuit, his mother (the record indicates that at some point the father was dismissed as a defendant) raised the issue of whether a parent is responsible for any tort by an adult major child, under roof or not.
The three-judge appellate panel determined Rauls correctly ruled that the Farm Bureau policy excluded coverage for intentional acts by one of the insured (Jacob) and sent the question of parental responsibility back to district court.
The writs request to the Supreme Court was on the ruling regarding the Farm Bureau dismissal.
After his sentencing Jacob appealed it as constitutionally excessive. In his plea negotiation he had agreed to 25 years maximum but argued Judge Greg Beard should have imposed less time for a 19-year-old first offender with cognitive disabilities.
DA Phillip Terrell in his response noted that without the plea arrangement Michot faced maximum exposure of 64 years imprisonment.
He referred to Beard’s case summation before sentencing that noted the circumstances (luring girls through social media) and nature of offenses and ages of the victims -13, 14, 15 and 16.
The circuit court affirmed the sentence.