Jaycee Dugard's Lawyers Seek Sanctions Against Feds

In court papers filed Monday, Dugard’s attorneys allege that Justice Department lawyers unfairly convinced the former chair of the U.S. Parole Commission to cease serving as Dugard’s expert witness in her lawsuit against the federal government.

Dugard alleges U.S. parole officials are partly to blame for her abduction and 18 years of captivity at the hands of a convicted rapist Phillip Garrido, who was on parole after serving 11 years of a 50-year sentence.

Justice Department officials did not return phone calls and emails seeking comment late Tuesday.

Dugard’s lawyers are seeking a verdict in their favor because of the Justice Department’s actions. She and her two children have already received a $20 million settlement from the state of California.

Garrido and his wife abducted Jaycee from a street in South Lake Tahoe in June 1991 while on her way to school. She was 11 years old. The couple kept Dugard captive in a backyard compound behind their Antioch, Calif., house where Garrido repeatedly raped and drugged the girl. During her captivity, Dugard gave birth to two daughters fathered by Garrido.

Dugard alleges in her federal lawsuit that federal parole agents failed to meet with Garrido as frequently as required and that agents failed to properly report his frequent marijuana use. The lawsuit also alleges that federal parole officials failed to turn over Garrido’s file when his supervision was transferred to California parole officials.

The lawsuit alleges that federal parole officials should have revoked Garrido’s parole prior to his kidnapping of Dugard.

Garrido was sentenced to 431 years to life for kidnap and rape. His wife Nancy was sentenced to 36 years to life.

In the court filing Monday, Dugard’s lawyers complain that the Department of Justice has fouled up their case by contacting their sole expert witness. They say they spent more than 50 hours over three months working with Carol Getty, who was prepared to testify on Dugard’s behalf. Getty served as chair of the U.S. Parole Commission from 1991 to 1992...

http://www.rgj.com/viewart/20120807/NEWS13/308070065/Jaycee-Dugard-s-law...