Jury selection and opening statements got underway today in downtown Dallas in a civil trial accusing real estate developer William "Bill" Hutchinson, who appeared on Lifetime’s Marrying Millions, of sexually assaulting three women. The plaintiffs say the alleged assaults happened in 2019 and 2020 at properties Hutchinson partly owned in the Dallas Design District, and each woman is seeking more than $1 million in damages. On day one, lawyers for the women painted Hutchinson as a serial predator, while his legal team told jurors the encounters were consensual. The trial is set to resume today and is expected to run about two weeks.
Opening Day At The Courthouse
In their first address to the jury, attorneys for the three women said the case centers on "a powerful and influential man who preyed on young women" and walked jurors through what they described as a pattern of encounters that followed offers of career help, according to The Dallas Morning News. Defense lawyers countered that the relationships were consensual and, the paper reports, tried to chip away at the women’s credibility by pointing to flirtatious text messages.
Allegations Center On Hotel And Nearby Apartment
The three anonymous plaintiffs allege that Hutchinson raped two of them and groped the third at the Virgin Hotel Dallas and at an apartment he maintained across the street, according to court filings and opening statements. Lawyers for the women described incidents in the spring and summer of 2020 and told jurors that one plaintiff woke up in a hotel room after what she believed was a work-related dinner, details that are laid out in reporting by The Texas Lawbook.
Criminal Case In California And Defense Position
Hutchinson previously pleaded guilty in April 2024 to a misdemeanor sexual battery charge in Orange County tied to an incident at a Laguna Beach vacation home and received a probation sentence, according to contemporaneous coverage by MyNewsLA. His attorneys have told reporters that the California conviction was later expunged and that he is therefore no longer required to register as a sex offender, according to statements to The Dallas Morning News.
Pretrial Fights Over What The Jury Sees
Before testimony began, the judge narrowed the evidence that jurors would see. The court excluded a 2010 email that referenced Jeffrey Epstein and ruled that jurors would receive only raw phone company records after disputes over deleted text messages, The Texas Lawbook reports. Both sides warned jurors that credibility will be key. Lawyers for the women urged them to keep basic principles of consent and accountability in mind, while a defense attorney cautioned jurors not to "tell lies, especially for money." The case is listed as DC-21-08859 in Dallas County court records.
What Comes Next
Over the next several days, jurors are expected to hear from witnesses and see documents that fill out the competing narratives laid out in opening statements. The outcome of the civil trial will largely turn on whether the jury believes the women’s accounts and whether it finds Hutchinson or the businesses named in the suits legally responsible.
