A Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas judge has ordered a massive civil payout, awarding two women a combined $10 million after they were assaulted. The judgment, handed down today and reported July 27 in a local television investigation, marks one of the more eye‑catching civil awards tied to an assault claim in the county.
According to FOX 8 Cleveland, the judge entered a total judgment of $10 million for the two women. FOX 8’s I‑Team reported that the plaintiffs were victims of an assault in Cuyahoga County. The station did not identify either the plaintiffs or the defendant.
What the award can include
Civil damages in assault cases often cover economic losses such as medical expenses and lost income, along with noneconomic harms like pain and suffering and emotional distress. Ohio law also permits punitive damages in some situations, although those awards are generally capped at no more than twice the compensatory damages, under the Ohio Revised Code.
Victims can sue even without a criminal conviction
State law provides that anyone injured in person or property by a criminal act has, and may recover full damages in, a civil action, meaning survivors can pursue civil damages whether or not prosecutors file charges or secure a conviction. Court materials emphasize that criminal and civil cases move on separate tracks in Ohio and that a civil verdict may stand on its own regardless of what happens in criminal court, as per Court of Ohio guidance.
How a judgment can be enforced
Winning a judgment is one thing, getting paid is another. To collect, plaintiffs typically have to use legal collection tools, such as filing a certificate of judgment to create a lien on real estate, seeking writs of execution to seize assets, or pursuing garnishment of income or accounts. Under Ohio law, a judgment creditor may record a certificate of judgment that places a lien on the debtor’s real property in the county where it is filed, according to Ohio Revised Code Section 2329.02.
FOX 8 Cleveland did not name the parties involved or indicate whether the judgment will be appealed, and the court’s written order was not immediately available online. For now, the case stands as a forceful reminder of the civil remedies available to survivors of violent crime in Cuyahoga County and the legal legwork often required to turn a big verdict into money in hand.
