Two weeks after Dan entered his guilty plea, Steve Franklin called all three victims, and invited them to come to his office for the results of the settlement of the civil suit. He and Dan’s attorneys had reached an agreement, which was going to be confirmed by the court, and Dan had agreed to it. If they hadn’t reached a settlement agreement, the civil suit would have gone to trial, and the damages might have been even greater for him. He had decided not to fight it. Steve had used all the measures available to him to get them the best settlements he could. He asked each of the women if they were amenable to meeting with him together, or if they preferred to be alone with him in each case, and all three had said that they were perfectly satisfied to be together when he told them the results of the settlement negotiation and resulting agreement. They found a day that suited the three of them and made an appointment to meet at his office. They looked relaxed when they got there. They had no idea what to expect. Whatever the amount was, they felt sure that Steve had done his best. It was a matter of principle, as much as anything. How could you put a price on fear and humiliation, trauma and degradation, and the nightmares they would have forever when they thought of him, and of what Francine’s children had suffered as a result of their mother’s depression for an entire decade?
Once they had all arrived, Steve spoke to them. He had three sets of papers on his desk, and the former coworkers chatted for a few minutes, waiting to hear the results. None of them had inordinately high expectations, and Steve explained that they truly deserved what Dan had been forced to give up for their benefit.
They were shocked when Steve said that the settlement for Julia for the hand job she’d had to give Dan was a hundred thousand dollars.
“Oh my God,” she said, covering her mouth with her hand. The amount seemed enormous to her. She couldn’t imagine having that much money all at one time. Steve smiled at her response as Julia thanked him profusely.
And for Jane, for the attempted rape she suffered and the trauma, and two incidents of sexual harassment before that, the defendant had agreed to three hundred thousand dollars. Jane was shocked too. She had had no idea what the award would be. She smiled at the other two women. Even though the money didn’t make up for the fear and humiliation, it was a real acknowledgment of what they had suffered at his hands, and it would be nice for each of them to have. Jane was less in need than the others, but it was tremendous validation that she was grateful for.
Steve turned to Francine then. “We struggled with an amount that seemed reasonable for you, Francine. But even I couldn’t assess what ten years of torture twice a week would be like, and how does anyone pay restitution for that? Add to that the constant threat of losing your job if you didn’t comply, and a death threat when he was out on bail. The defendant’s attorney came up with an amount I’m satisfied with, and I hope you will be too. They’ve agreed to a settlement of three million dollars for you.”
Jane and Julia gasped, and Francine’s eyes filled with tears. She was speechless. Never in her life could she imagine having that kind of money, and what it could do for her children. It was life-changing after ten years of soul-crushing sexual and emotional abuse. She would never forget what she’d been through, but it would make such a huge difference in her life and her children’s. They could go to good colleges, live in a nice home, and be secure. A prom dress would no longer be out of reach, or lessons, good food on the table, and vacations together. Three million dollars was like giving Francine and her family a world that would never have been open to her otherwise. The other two women hugged her, and she hugged them and Steve, crying uncontrollably.
“I don’t know . . . I can’t . . .” She couldn’t put her feelings into words, but they all agreed that it was fair. She had suffered by far the most. She hugged Jane again, because if Jane hadn’t spoken up, she never would have either. They all signed the papers, agreeing to the settlements, and Francine was shaking when she stood up. She still looked dazed when she left. She had to go back to work, but she couldn’t think straight she was so stunned. The judge was going to validate the agreements and confirm them that afternoon, and Steve said that they would have the checks in two days. He hadn’t handled the civil suit on a contingency basis, they had agreed to pay his hourly rates, but he told them before they left his office that he had conferred with Martha and her partners and there had been unanimous agreement that the case would be handled pro bono. The women would have no fees to pay and would get the full settlement amount. It was Martha’s contribution to alleviate what they had suffered at Dan Fletcher’s hands.
They hugged Francine again before she got in a cab to go back to work. Her mind was racing in a thousand directions at once, and Jane and Julia were still talking a mile a minute when they got back to the agency. Bob and Merriwether came in quickly to find out what had happened. They were impressed by the amounts, and Bob was proud of Martha for doing it pro bono. She was a woman of principle. As much as it drove him crazy at times, this time it made him proud. They had just settled on the final amounts for their divorce settlement, and it wasn’t inexpensive, but it was fair enough and an amount he could live with. She hadn’t crippled the agency to prove a point, which he was grateful for.
Merriwether was having more of a battle with Jeff through her attorneys. Despite their prenup, which he was contesting, he was still demanding the moon and they might have to go to trial over it, but he wouldn’t win the amount he wanted for a seven-year marriage, from a woman who had supported him fully for all seven years. Bob could wait for however long it took for her to be free. They were together as much as possible now, and once the finances were settled, he was going to move in with her and her daughter. In the meantime, he was close by. He was with the woman he had loved from afar for years, he could wait a few months longer. They were going to get married quietly at city hall when the divorce was final. They had much to be grateful for.
Francine told her children that night, because they would be the most affected by the settlement. She had told them an abbreviated version of the circumstances when Dan’s crimes came to light. It explained a lot to them about why their mother had seemed so emotionally unavailable for so long. They were both proud of her for standing up for herself in the end. And it was a lesson for them both. Now Thalia could go to a really good college, and Tommy would too one day. They already had a new apartment they loved, thanks to her new job. Thalia had been accepted by several good colleges, and now she could accept the one she preferred. And Tommy was excited about high school in the fall. They hugged and cried, and Francine seemed happy and at peace. She had taught her children a valuable life lesson, to fight for what was right, and stand for principle, and not let someone take away your freedom and your self-respect, no matter what the consequences. Francine knew she would owe Jane a debt forever for her courage.
After Merriwether and Bob left Jane’s office, David was hovering outside. He hadn’t wanted to intrude. She told him to come in.
“How did it go?” he asked her, concerned. She told him all about the settlement agreement, and he thought she was a very courageous woman. He admired her for what she’d done, and for sticking with it, in the face of embarrassment, threats, and fear. “Well done,” he said. “Can I invite you to dinner tonight to celebrate?” She smiled and nodded.