Florida Jury Awards $3M in Day Care Sex Abuse

A Florida jury has awarded $3 million to the family of a young girl who was sexually abused at a day care center.

Attorney Jeff Herman said Wednesday the Miami-Dade Circuit Court jury found Discovery Day Care negligent after a weeklong trial.

Trial testimony showed that the day care center director’s son admitted abusing the girl on multiple occasions when he was left alone with the children in 2008. Additional testimony showed that a center employee falsified documents related to the abuse.

The girl is now 8 years old. The abuse happened when she was a preschooler. The boy was 13 at the time and later pleaded guilty to sexual battery in juvenile court.

Day care center attorney Donald Hardeman says he will file a motion for a new trial based on issues with some evidence. If that is denied, Hardeman said he would appeal the verdict.