Virginia jury awards $300 million to women alleging sexual abuse at children's hospital

New Delhi: A Richmond jury has ruled in favour of three women who alleged they were sexually abused while patients at Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents in Virginia, awarding them a total of $300 million in damages, as per the news agency AP.

According to WTVR-TV, the jury awarded each woman $60 million in compensatory damages and $40 million in punitive damages.

The trial, held in Richmond Circuit Court, is the first in a series of lawsuits brought by 46 former patients against the hospital and Dr. Daniel Davidow, its longtime medical director. The women accused Davidow of inappropriately touching them during femoral pulse exams while under his care.

Kevin Biniazan, the lawyer representing the women, expressed the emotional significance of the verdict, stating, "To have a group of strangers look at them, listen to them, and tell them they believe them... it broke them down in tears immediately. It broke us all down in tears."

Davidow, however, has denied all allegations. His lawyer, Bob Donnelly, claimed in court that the femoral pulse examination, a standard medical procedure from the 1960s and 1970s, was used. Donnelly stated, "Davidow firmly denies the allegations of sexual assault."

Earlier this year, Davidow was acquitted of felony sex abuse charges involving two other former patients after a criminal trial in April. Despite his acquittal, civil lawsuits against him and the hospital continue, with the next trial scheduled for March.