Community | August 24, 2011 | 138 comments

Woman allegedly raped in Iraq sued by defense contractor KBR

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KB723
By Eric W. Dolan
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 -- 7:41 pm

Defense contractor KBR has filed a lawsuit against Jamie Leigh Jones, a former employee who sued the company in 2007 after allegedly being drugged and raped by a group of co-workers in Iraq.

The lawsuit seeks more than $2 million to cover their legal fees, and accuses her of making fabricated and frivolous claims, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A Houston jury deliberated for more than 10 hours before deciding there was not enough evidence against the defendants.

“They have beaten us and now they are attempting to crush us,” her lawyer, Todd Kelly, told the Wall Street Journal. “This is an attempt by KBR to chill other people from bringing claims against them.”

Jones had filed suit against KBR, its former parent company Halliburton, and former co-workers. All parties involved denied the allegations and the co-workers insisted the sex had been consensual.

She acknowledged that she had no memory of the alleged rapes but claimed it was because she had been drugged prior to the assault. Jones said the company imprisoned her in a shipping container after she reported the rape.

She had promoted her own case on her website and had asked for $145 million from KBR for allegedly failing to enforce its sexual harassment policies and not telling her of the danger of rape when she signed her employment contract.

Jones had sued the defendants for negligence, negligent undertaking, sexual harassment and hostile environment under Title VII of the Civil rights Act of 1964, breach of contract, fraud in the inducement to enter the employment contract, fraud in the inducement to agree to arbitration, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment.

KBR had attempted to keep the case from going to a jury trial, because Jones' contract required arbitration in the case of workplace disputes, but the conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that she had the right to sue in court.

The Crime Victims Office at the Department of Justice was unable to investigate the incident because of a lack of jurisdiction over private contractors in Iraq.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/23/woman-allegedly-raped-in-iraq-sued-by-defe...

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138 comments // Woman allegedly raped in Iraq sued by defense contractor KBR

  • Hotpckts
    • -1
      Hotpckts  
    • Image

    • http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/07/09/jamie_leigh_jones_loses_rape_case.html
      But jurors in the case against the Houston, Texas-based company decided in the end that Jones's sexual encounter was consensual, rendering other charges moot.
      A lawyer for the accused, 34-year-old Charles Boartz, told the Houston Chronicle the verdict was “fully justified, fully merited and long overdue.”

      Jurors also rejected the former KBR worker’s assertion that her employer fraudulently induced her “to enter into an employment contract” that stipulated she had to resolve company disputes through arbitration. Her high-profile case led to a U.S. Senate amendment that prevented the Defense Department from using contractors that included similar contractual stipulations.

      A KBR spokesperson told the The Wall Street Journal, "Since 2005, KBR has been subjected to a continuing series of lies perpetuated by the plantiff in front of Congress, in the media and to any audience wishing to lend an ear to this story.”

      Well then. Hate to say I told you so.

    • 9 months ago
  • Incredulous
    • +1
      Incredulous  
    • Hotpckts:

      I'm sure the verdict had nothing to do with the fact that KBR is a Halliburton subsidiary, or that KBR is a Houston, Texas-based company.

      Do people really believe that women engage in consensual sex that results in the woman needing reconstructive surgery on her chest and psychiatric counseling for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Do we really lock up rape victims in storage facilities and deny them all access to outside communication for reporting the rape? Why does this sound so much like the woman in Iran who was imprisoned for being raped?

      Where do you cordon off people's opinions about this case, and allow only the facts....the facts according to KBR, to be presented?

      A KBR spokesperson told the The Wall Street Journal, "Since 2005, KBR has been subjected to a continuing series of lies perpetuated by the plantiff in front of Congress, in the media and to any audience wishing to lend an ear to this story."

      Oh, my heart goes out to poor little KBR.....they probably need PTSD counseling too...

      An attorney for Jones did not comment on a possible appeal, but said that he respected the jury’s decision, considering the evidence they were allowed to see.

      “We do think it’s a shame that Jamie’s entire personal history was dragged before the jury,” attorney Todd Kelly told the Chronicle, “when her rapist’s criminal history, including violence against women, was suppressed from them.”

      Justice in this nation, like everything else, goes to the highest bidder.

    • 9 months ago
  • Hotpckts
    • 0
      Hotpckts  
    • Incredulous:

      You dont know many firefighters, do you?
      I respect what these people do and all, but Ive honestly never met a firefighter whom didnt give off a strong I will rape you vibe. In fact most of them openly joke about rape, as was the case with this woman apparently, "One of the firefighters, he handed me the drink. He said: "Don't worry I saved all the ruffies for Dubai," Jones testified."
      They are large, rough people, and with more than one being in the room I have no doubt they could have caused these injuries, maybe even accidentally.

      That said, the evidence going missing shows a clear disregard for justice from KBR and Halliburton, and seems suspicious as all hell.

      I know you wont like my view on this, but imagine the scene here. A woman goes out drinking with a few firefighters in a foreign country.
      One hands her a drink and makes a comment about ruffies
      There is no testimony from what I can tell of any other female coworkers being with her, so as much as you will hate to admit it, she very well should have known where she was going.
      Am I advocating this type of behavior? Of course not. Its wrong to treat a woman this way. But without knowing the facts or having a clear picture of what happened, (perhaps she is into rough sex etc) its not easy to make a clear judgment without spewing speculation all over the place.

    • 9 months ago
  • Hotpckts
    • -4
      Hotpckts  

    • This woman is sueing them for $145M for not writing into the contract that she may be raped?
      Excuse me if I'm just being ignorant, but unless she never watches the news or has never heard of the constant stories of women being raped overseas, she knew what could happen to her.
      I would say that this would be like the case where a woman was burned by scalding hot mcdonalds coffee, but she had 3rd degree burns from a product with no warnings on it. She did not, however, get raped by three mcdonalds employees.
      I suppose mcdonalds should begin posting a warning at their doors sayin "ATTN: EMPLOYEES MAY RAPE YOU"

    • 9 months ago
  • Incredulous
    • +5
      Incredulous  
    • Hotpckts:

      yes, if McDonalds was guilty of creating a corporate climate conducive to rape, then yes, they damn well better post a warning and do something to change that environment, or get sued.

    • 9 months ago
  • Hotpckts
    • -3
      Hotpckts  
    • Incredulous:

      What I'm trying to say is how in the hell is it the corporations fault that this woman may or may not have been raped?
      If they had given her computer training on the dangers of rape in the workplace or put into her contract that she may be raped, do you seriously think that would have made a difference?

      People just don't need to rely on common sense anymore I guess.

      The other bits about her imprisonment etc arent so understandable though, typical scare tactics to prevent her from suing them for millions of dollars.
      Oh btw, her winning would be like her making it through "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" about 150 consecutive times. Just putting that in perspective.

    • 9 months ago
  • Incredulous
    • +4
      Incredulous  
    • Hotpckts:

      I don't know that I can explain that to you. It is complicated, but when a corporation, or a university, or any entity creates an environment where there is no law, or no consequences for breaking the law, if there is law, then that entity should be held accountable. You cannot eliminate rape, or any other crime just by providing training on how to protect yourself, but neither can you instill integrity in human beings merely by putting them through training either. There is a giant fail in this whole case, maybe many giant fails.

    • 9 months ago
  • Buckeye_Bill
  • SandyBerman
  • Hotpckts
    • -1
      Hotpckts  
    • SandyBerman:

      Well she has lost the case anyway so, good game. Its nice to have opinions, in fact Im currently working in the Air Force to help preserve your right to have them. But when all you are expressing is an opinion, what you say is essentially worthless.
      I remember when people used to post facts as arguements on this site instead of quoting each other and saying "You are a bad bad man!" hoping for up-vote validation

    • 9 months ago
  • Hotpckts
  • Buckeye_Bill
    • 0
      Buckeye_Bill  
    • Image
    • Hotpckts:

      "Well she has lost the case anyway so, good game."

      Now, I ask you, should she have LOST the "game"?

      For one, I would never have described it as a "game" in the first place.

      But, then again, I'm not you.

      Is this enough of a reason why I shall not communicate with you from this post forward?

      Buh Bye.

    • 9 months ago
  • Hotpckts
    • 0
      Hotpckts  
    • Buckeye_Bill:

      I called it a case not a game. This right here, the members of Current who think a rational response is to say I have sex with dolls is a game.
      And if there was no evidence that she was raped, then yes. She should have and did, lose.

    • 9 months ago
  • Hotpckts
    • 0
      Hotpckts  
    • Incredulous:

      Ok let me ask you this, if you were working in the US military and were raped, would you press charges against your attacker or try to sue the government for $150 million?
      Trick question since you wouldn't be allowed to sue anyway. (at least not the government)

      But still I hope you can see where I'm going with this. This woman only tried this because she knew she could. She knew she could get a massive followership to pressure the company to settle out of court to save their reputation.
      She was, in fact, taking advantage of the company (lol irony) when she had no evidence to support her.

    • 9 months ago
  • Incredulous
    • +2
      Incredulous  
    • Hotpckts:

      kind of hard to have evidence when you report the crime, get locked up in, what, a storage bin....and then KBR destroys the evidence.

      This woman can't press charges against her attackers either, because KBR successfully lobbied to protect themselves and their employees from being prosecuted for any crimes they commit outside of the US. This is a circular and pointless argument.

      off with their heads!

    • 9 months ago
  • VoicesofWomen
    • +1
      VoicesofWomen  

    • Reviewed The Story and would like to invite Current Community members to collaborate and partners with our exclusive, by invitation only 500 members (including over 60,000 from major partnerships worldwide)and share your incredible stories by bringing your voices to VOICES OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE & VOW-TV http://voicesofwomenworldwide-vowwtv.ning.com. VOWW & VOW-TV focuses on promoting "voiceless" women, young girls and children around the world and broadcasting their stories over the Internet WebTV, print and adio media worldwide ... while mainstream media chooses to ignore their stories completely.
      Vinanti Castellarin

    • 9 months ago
  • VoicesofWomen
    • 0
      VoicesofWomen  

    • Reviewed your website and read your article and would like to invite you to my Current Community Page. Do share your work and bring your voice to VOICSE OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE & VOW-TV http://voicesofwomenworldwide-vowwtv.ning.com - focusing on promoting "voiceless" women, young girls and children around the world and broadcasting their stories over the Internet worldwide ...

    • 9 months ago
  • BrushwithDeathToothpaste
    • +5
      BrushwithDeathToothpaste  

    • Republicans for Rape. They opposed holding contractors legally responsible for actions like this while breaking up ACORN because of a heavily edited tape. Gee imagine if Republicans actually had control of our government, maybe they wouldn't work as hard to destroy our country.

    • 9 months ago
  • cabinettags
  • cabinettags
  • Milieu
  • artemis6
    • +6
      artemis6  

    • I was hoping she would get justice . She was SO brave , to stand up to them . I believe she will defeat them in the end , she clearly has the greater courage .

    • 9 months ago
  • KB723
  • faye59
    • +3
      faye59  

    • There are a lot of politicians and former politicians who have shares in this company. Someone should publish the list of names and embarass them all. They know what their company does. This should not be allowed to happen.

    • 9 months ago
  • wynnmeg61
    • +3
      wynnmeg61  
    • faye59:

      That might have worked a few decades ago, however, today those people know no shame. Publish their names for sure, just don't expect that to change their behavior.

    • 9 months ago
  • Anonmaly
    • -6
      Anonmaly  

    • This is why I never get laid anymore.....

      There all rape victims, and can't stand the thought of even consensual sex, or even a relationship...

      Thanks Allot Ass-Holes!!!

      And the fact that many college girl students are turning to "Sugar Daddies" to pay for college, might as well be rape.... Sex Slavery....

      No class-warfare doesn't exist, and if so it's always perpetuated by the "poor" people....

      Eat the Rich..... Fucking reminds me of "Brave Heart"..... Come Fuck/Rape all our women.....

      Really we'll just stand for it forever?..... Find out motherfuckers.....

    • 9 months ago
  • KB723
  • SandyBerman
  • KB723
  • Incredulous
    • +5
      Incredulous  
    • Image
    • Anonmaly:

      This is NOT why you never get laid anymore....but keep searching, you'll figure it out.

      p.s. It's They're as in, They are.
      There, as in, There is a reason.
      Their, as in, It is their decision when you don't get laid.

      kisses and hugs....

      the Grammar Nazi ;-)

    • 9 months ago
  • CalgarC
  • KB723
  • faye59
  • theknopfknows
  • KB723
  • theknopfknows
  • KB723
  • theknopfknows
    • -2
      theknopfknows  
    • Image
    • KB723:

      I`M SHOWING HOW WE ABUSE ARE WOMEN IN SERVICE OR WORKING WRITER:
      THINK ABOUT SHAMEFUL ACT OF OUR MILITARY BOYS;
      MAYBE 7 YEARS IN JAIL would be fitting swinging dicks can`t control themselves let prison rape them! JUSTICE GLOBAL GET IT
      SAD DAY IN HELL!

    • 9 months ago
  • KB723
  • Gillian_Marktoo
  • Vic_Romano
  • KB723
  • Vic_Romano
  • KB723
    • +3
      KB723  
    • Vic_Romano:

      Yes and as long as they are overseas, they are that much more Helpless... I don't come to these pages to make threats, I am however a better Forecaster, folks are Pissed as Hell and I do not Blame them... What Pisses me off even more is that under the Guise of Change, Nothing has changed at all... We the People are still the enemy!!!

    • 9 months ago
  • Vic_Romano
    • +4
      Vic_Romano  
    • KB723:

      I pretty much agree. Things are getting pretty bad, and kind words and political promises aren't going to make this depression any better. It won't be much longer until people start giving up on the system altogether....fuck it all type of shit.

    • 9 months ago
  • KB723
    • +4
      KB723  
    • Vic_Romano:

      Folks are starving in the streets with no chance of feeding themselves or their loved ones... Folks must remember that Guns are easily bought and sold in the streets... It's just going to take one angry individual, that probably has a masters degree in their field that will end the life of any elected official in their district and it will be Hell to Pay... These elected officials need to wake up and remember not only who they represent, but also who they are hurting by their Lack of Diplomacy and working together for the best Interest of the folks that put them in office and rely on their better judgement, to begin with...

      Folks say "If you are Not Angry, You are not paying attention" and the folks this needs to apply to are the elected officials... I am beyond Broken for these folks, cos some of them are my friends, and things don't look good for their survival... We used to think that, aw this too will pass, but it has Not and it has only gotten worse... If these GOP folks want to keep poking and denying, let the Blame be put on them when it is their Life that has ended and lets be sure to Broadcast to these folks, that by their actions, or Lack thereof that we make no Threats but bring to light the Hazard they allow themselves to be put into... "A Hungry Man is an Angry Man!!!!"

    • 9 months ago
  • Vic_Romano
    • +3
      Vic_Romano  
    • KB723:

      All I can say is that you can pick up a used Mossberg 500 or a Winchester Defender for under $200, and a used Ruger Mini-14 for less than $300. It may very well be a sound investment.

    • 9 months ago
  • KB723
  • Vic_Romano
  • mickyjon420
  • KB723
  • KB723
  • faye59
  • KB723
    • +2
      KB723  
    • faye59:

      I am pretty sure they start out as servicemen for the training... After three years of being shown the tactics of war and killing, why not go for more pay??? We do have regular servicemen and women in the mix, but they are paid at least 75% less than another soldier, working for a "Private" contractor... Perhaps I am guessing, but I am pretty sure...=)

    • 9 months ago
  • Buckeye_Bill
    • 0
      Buckeye_Bill  
    • Vic_Romano:

      WOW! Did I read what I just read? I suppose I am interjecting myself into this conversation a day late and an ammo belt to short!

      Do you all want to know who is gearing up for a war? I mean just any war? They don't care if it's a race, economic or "whose side are you on politically" war!

      I'll tell ya....the NRA, rightwing, neocon, conservative christian, tea bagging, Palinite, KKK, Batshit Bachmaniac, Teavangelista, Tea hadists...that's who!

      I know some of "them"....they LOVE guns. They have this unnatural desire to use them. They speak of DemocRats like there will be a "bounty" on the heads of them any day now! They think that it would be a great thing to use a helicopter to go hunting for "DimmoCritters".

      When the shooting begins, I want to be as far away from "Dodge City" as I can get!

      BECAUSE...they have some of the most awful, goddamned weapons a God-fearing, Bible-thumping christianimalmaniac could ever want to possess!

      And you may think I'm making this shit up, don't you?

      Lordy, I wish you were right............and I'm talking about men that are TIRED of squirrel hunting, They talk of hunting for BIG GAME...and they're not meaning bear or elk, either! It's the "two-legged" kind. There's a funny look that comes over their eyes when they speak of "things to come" like they are WISHING for the chance to unload their full clips into....Oh, Lordy!

      But thing is, those who have been in combat think these people are NUTS! That they are big time wannabes! The ones that the Army rejected because of psychological problems!

      Now, I ask you, is it NOT against the law to possess AUTOMATIC weapons in America?

      Then how in all that's Holy can they get away with owning these, what I call WMDs?

      And you'll not guess who goes to these "shootouts"....Rand Paul! Yep, the very one!

      This Nation is going to Hell in a double-handled handbasket pronto!

      Oh Lordy!!!!!!!! God Almighty!!!!!!!!!!!

      Tell me I'm going crazy! Because if I am, I'll check my OWN self into the nearest nuthouse tomorrow!

    • 9 months ago
  • Buckeye_Bill
    • +1
      Buckeye_Bill  
    • Vic_Romano:

      Until you come across someone that owns a bigger gun....

      A soldier was so stupid they couldn't trust him with a weapon, so they gave him a stick. He asked, "What do I do with this?". They said to point it at the enemy and say, "Bangity, bangity, bang!". He asked, "What if I run out of bullets?" They then stuck a nail in the end of the stick saying it was a bayonette and told him to jab it at the enemy and say, "Stabbity, stabbity, stab!". So he goes off to war and finds himself on a battle field the very next day and saw his first enemy soldier coming forward to his position. A great big enemy soldier! He stands up from his foxhole and yells out, "Bangety, bangety, bang!". But the enemy soldier keeps coming! When the enemy soldier got close enough he jabbed his stick at him and said, "Stabbity, stabbity, stab!". But this did not affect the enemy soldier in the least! As the enemy soldier was beating the first stupid soldier nearly to death with his fists, the poor stupid soldier heard the enemy soldier say, "Tankity, tankity, tank!"

      The morale of the story is..."Take heart, there's always someone stupider than the last stupid idiot when it comes to going off to war!".

    • 9 months ago
  • RevKen
  • KB723
  • RevKen
    • +5
      RevKen  
    • KB723:

      Thinking about it she could have an easier shot at proving her case as the burden of proof will be different. I am surprised that KBR would even attempt this. They should have thanked their lucky stars and distanced themselves from this as fast as they could.

      I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that KBR will end up regretting this decision.

    • 9 months ago
  • KB723
    • +3
      KB723  
    • RevKen:

      It sure did not help them to continue to have this in the Light... They should have just shut the Hell up and cashed her out, and sign a contract to never speak of it again, but now they are brought to the light and could get their Asses Kicked....

    • 9 months ago
  • kennymotown
  • KB723
  • kennymotown
  • KB723
  • kennymotown
    • +3
      kennymotown  
    • KB723:

      Well got about 6 hours of sleep so,= I'll try to get a couple more in a little while. It can be a real physical job some nights, but mostly it's just the Vampire hours that get to me. :)

    • 9 months ago
  • KB723
  • kennymotown
    • +3
      kennymotown  
    • KB723:

      Unfortunately it was the only thing available at the time, and time was running out! And at the end of the week I make a whopping 32 dollars more than what I was on unemployment! That pays for gas. :)

    • 9 months ago
  • KB723
    • +3
      KB723  
    • kennymotown:

      I hear Ya Kenny, gotta take what is available these days, I am glad you are working again... I know many folks that are being laid off, gotta count my blessings these days... Did you ever get that pic I sent you at MSJ???

    • 9 months ago
  • kennymotown
  • KB723
  • Rudeboy84
  • KB723
  • SandyBerman
  • KB723
  • SandyBerman
  • KB723
  • Rudeboy84
  • KB723
  • GRC54
  • KB723
  • bailey78
  • KB723
  • bailey78
  • KB723
  • NeverTheSameColor
  • KB723
  • EdJoyProductions
  • Leen61
    • +12
      Leen61  

    • I've known about this case and learned even more about it in the documentary "Hot Coffee." Jamie Leigh Jones' story is one of the cases that is in this excellent film. Al Franken is seen in the film doing everything he can for Jamie. Jamie's case and the film point out why it's so important to know what Tort Reform is. This is disgusting and KBR is just another one of Dick Cheney's slimeball corporations.

    • 9 months ago
  • KB723
  • Leen61
  • KB723
  • Leen61
  • Hardytoo
    • +5
      Hardytoo  
    • KB723:

      He's waiting for a transplant.
      With his arterial problems, life expectancy after LVAD is 56% after ONE year. It goes down real fast after that.
      Let's drink a toast...

    • 9 months ago
  • KB723
  • KB723
  • EdJoyProductions
  • Hardytoo
  • EdJoyProductions
  • Incredulous
  • KB723
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