Judge Awards $6,318,760 in Damages to Kala Brown in Civil Suit Against Convicted Serial Killer and Rapist Todd Kohlhepp
SPARTANBURG, S.C.— Judge Keith Kelly recently issued an order awarding Kala Brown $6,318,760 in total damages as a result of her civil lawsuit filed against Todd Kohlhepp on Dec. 1, 2016: $1,579,690 in actual damages and $4,739,070 in punitive damages.
“We respect the Court’s decision in this case,” said Alex Stalvey, who serves as attorney for Ms. Brown and managing partner of Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, LLC. “Kala is relieved to have this litigation behind her and is grateful for all the kind words and prayers she has received throughout the process.”
The money will come from Kohlhepp’s liquidated assets. The claims set forth in Brown’s lawsuit include assault, battery and false imprisonment. The Defendant did not contest the lawsuit and later admitted to the allegations raised in Brown’s lawsuit during his guilty plea on May 26, 2017.
Kohlhepp received 60 years for sexually assaulting and kidnapping Ms. Brown. Kohlhepp also received seven life sentences for murdering Ms. Brown’s boyfriend, Charlie Carver, as well as murdering Meagan and Johnny Coxie in 2015 and Scott Ponder, Brian Lucas, Chris Sherbert and Beverly Guy in 2003.
Officials were investigating cell phone signals from Ms. Brown’s phone when she was discovered chained in a storage container on Kohlhepp’s property in 2016. She had been taken hostage by Kohlhepp when she and her then boyfriend, Charlie Carver, had arrived at Kohlhepp’s home to assist in cleaning. Kohlhepp was a real estate broker in the Spartanburg area and had previously hired Brown and Carver to clean the properties he sold.
Kohlhepp shot Carver in front of Brown and then imprisoned her for over two months while he repeatedly raped, hit and threatened her, causing her to suffer severe injuries, emotional distress and psychological damage.
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