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VALLEJO, Calif. — A couple reached a $2.5 million settlement with a Northern California city and its police department after investigators dismissed the woman’s elaborate and bizarre kidnapping as a hoax.
Police in the city of Vallejo initially discounted a report by Denise Huskins and her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, that a masked intruder drugged them in their home and then kidnapped her in 2015.
The assailant sexually assaulted Huskins and released her two days later outside her family’s home in Southern California. The Associated Press doesn’t normally name victims of sexual assault, but Huskins has frequently spoken publicly about the case in the past.
Police realized the couple were telling the truth after a disbarred Harvard University-trained attorney, Matthew Muller, was implicated in another crime and tied to the abduction. He pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and is serving a 40-year prison term.
Couple to get $2.5 million after California police called abduction a hoax – The Denver Post
Vallejo police quickly declared the case a hoax. Some in the media began calling Huskins the “Gone Girl,” a reference to the book and movie about a woman who fakes her own abduction.
For months, Huskins and Quinn were widely considered criminals.
Report: Vallejo settles with Denise Huskins for $2.5 million
Huskins and Quinn filed the federal complaint in March 2016, nearly a year after the Vallejo Police Department referred to the case as a "wild goose chase" and a waste of police resources.
In their lawsuit, the couple claimed that because of the police department's allegations that Huskins' kidnapping was untrue, their reputations were tarnished and they were forced to move out of the town, where they had worked as physical therapists.
Vallejo woman and fiance wrongly accused of kidnapping hoax settle for $2.5 million
“What happened to us should not happen to anyone,” the couple said in a statement. “Victims should be protected in their time of need, not humiliated on a public stage. We hope that this settlement brings inspiration to others like us to speak up and keep fighting.”
Woman, Fiance Wrongly Accused of Kidnapping Hoax Settle for $2.5M in Suit Against Vallejo Police
Vallejo police apologized after discounting the request for help. The city is about 32 miles northeast of San Francisco.
“The conduct plaintiffs allege goes beyond defendants being skeptical, investigating alternate theories, and expressing skepticism,” U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley wrote in his 22-page decision, adding that, “A reasonable jury could find that defendants engaged in conduct that was extreme and outrageous.”
$2.5M settlement after police dismiss woman's kidnapping as 'Gone Girl' hoax
A video on this story:
Police in the city of Vallejo initially discounted a report by Denise Huskins and her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, that a masked intruder drugged them in their home and then kidnapped her in 2015.
The assailant sexually assaulted Huskins and released her two days later outside her family’s home in Southern California. The Associated Press doesn’t normally name victims of sexual assault, but Huskins has frequently spoken publicly about the case in the past.
Police realized the couple were telling the truth after a disbarred Harvard University-trained attorney, Matthew Muller, was implicated in another crime and tied to the abduction. He pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and is serving a 40-year prison term.
Couple to get $2.5 million after California police called abduction a hoax – The Denver Post
Vallejo police quickly declared the case a hoax. Some in the media began calling Huskins the “Gone Girl,” a reference to the book and movie about a woman who fakes her own abduction.
For months, Huskins and Quinn were widely considered criminals.
Report: Vallejo settles with Denise Huskins for $2.5 million
Huskins and Quinn filed the federal complaint in March 2016, nearly a year after the Vallejo Police Department referred to the case as a "wild goose chase" and a waste of police resources.
In their lawsuit, the couple claimed that because of the police department's allegations that Huskins' kidnapping was untrue, their reputations were tarnished and they were forced to move out of the town, where they had worked as physical therapists.
Vallejo woman and fiance wrongly accused of kidnapping hoax settle for $2.5 million
“What happened to us should not happen to anyone,” the couple said in a statement. “Victims should be protected in their time of need, not humiliated on a public stage. We hope that this settlement brings inspiration to others like us to speak up and keep fighting.”
Woman, Fiance Wrongly Accused of Kidnapping Hoax Settle for $2.5M in Suit Against Vallejo Police
Vallejo police apologized after discounting the request for help. The city is about 32 miles northeast of San Francisco.
“The conduct plaintiffs allege goes beyond defendants being skeptical, investigating alternate theories, and expressing skepticism,” U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley wrote in his 22-page decision, adding that, “A reasonable jury could find that defendants engaged in conduct that was extreme and outrageous.”
$2.5M settlement after police dismiss woman's kidnapping as 'Gone Girl' hoax
A video on this story:
