Louisiana jury awards $1.1bn to woman who sued over childhood molestation in 1960s

Plaintiff Pamela Lockridge, center, after being awarded $1.1bn in damages for a childhood sexual abuse case that she pursued under Louisiana’s so-called ‘lookback law’. Photograph: Courtesy of Ryan Gatti

A north-west Louisiana jury recently awarded a staggering $1.1bn in damages to a woman who sued over childhood sexual molestation at the hands of her late stepfather in the 1960s and 1970s – a verdict that the plaintiff says “sends a message that children are precious” and “deserve protection”.

The outcome in Pamela Elaine Lockridge’s lawsuit caused waves among Louisiana’s legal community, illustrating how much civil juries are willing to award to plaintiffs for cases tried under the state’s so-called “lookback law”.