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Ex will get thousands after being stalked, harassed

By Associated Press   September 20, 2008 - 11:26 a.m.

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — A jury has decided a retired Duluth man should pay a former girlfriend more than $108,000 in damages for inflicting emotional distress.

Julee A. Sipper, of Superior, Wis., filed the civil lawsuit against 75-year-old Walter Goodman in May 2007.

The 52-year-old registered nurse accused Goodman of verbal and physical threats, stalking, sexual assault, trespassing, putting her in fear of bodily harm and other manipulative conduct.

The five-woman, one-man jury earmarked $50,000 for past pain, disability and emotional distress, nearly $44,000 for health-care expenses and nearly $15,000 for wage loss.

Court documents say Sipper is divorced and Goodman is married. They met at a Gambler’s Anonymous meeting in 2004.

Goodman’s attorney David Malban says he thinks the jury got it wrong. He says he will file post-trial motions, but wouldn’t elaborate.

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Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com




reader COMMENTS (15)
staticrush
Sep 21, 2008 at 8:44 a.m.
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http://www.doj.state.wi.us/cvs/Victims_R...

Please visit this site for more information.

"The cost for harassment orders may be waived if the harassing behavior involves domestic abuse or stalking behavior. You may be able to have filing and service fees waived if you are low income. When you file your petition, ask how you can qualify."

yogi
Sep 21, 2008 at 8:32 a.m.
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My girlfriend was really being stalked, harassed, and our vehicles vandalized by a person who works at GM. We couldn't afford a restraining order. Police didn't want to do anything. They never took it seriously. We finally had to move out of Janesville to stay safe.

unknown
Sep 21, 2008 at 12:52 a.m.
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Im just wondering why this was alolowed to goe on for so long an why no one thought to file a restraining order

unknown
Sep 21, 2008 at 12:48 a.m.
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Wow are you kidding me

hannah
Sep 20, 2008 at 3:34 p.m.
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gabby- so true. they have knowledge, war maybe, no fear, no fear of pain. i knwo a man around 70 that i would fear - he was in the cia i sure he has ways to make somebody scared.

gabby06
Sep 20, 2008 at 3:16 p.m.
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whybesad~Are you kidding me???? I would be scared of a 75 yr old stalking me before a 20 yr old. Yes a 20 yr old has the physical part but a 75 yr old has the mental part down! He knows how people work because he has lived 75 years!!!!

whybesad
Sep 20, 2008 at 3:06 p.m.
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Scared of a 75 year old man HA HA

nutty
Sep 20, 2008 at 1:27 p.m.
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Did the police fail in this case, allowing someone to stalk for 4 YEARS?

garyprimer
Sep 20, 2008 at 1:21 p.m.
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Were there any criminal cases prior and relating to the civil suit?

ihavealife
Sep 20, 2008 at 12:18 p.m.
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Unless you have had a crazy person upsetting your life you really don't know the fear it can do. Numerous phone calls,broken windows,cars destored,a vehicle set on fire next to your house never knowing if that person is hiding in the bushes etc...These are just a few things that my family made in thru ,really too many others to list in the 10 years that this one person did !!!.These money judgements may not give back that persons sense of security ,but it does send a message !!!! At the age of 70 plus I'm sure this was not his first victim.

janesvillean
Sep 20, 2008 at 12:06 p.m.
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Phil, this was a jury award, not a settlement.
.
nutty, saying what you said trivializes the pain that stalking victims go through, sometimes for years after the events, never certain that they are completely safe. I hope you never have it happen to someone close to you.

nutty
Sep 20, 2008 at noon
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Phil
Sep 20, 2008 at noon
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Maybe a tenth of the $108k. These kind of settlements are ridiculous.

chainsawchuckie
Sep 20, 2008 at 11:52 a.m.
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WOW

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