Below is an update and rewrite for the paragraph in my post about the Legal status of what I’m doing. This is the first time I have received confirmation about what happened after the last contact. I only ever received this information over the phone through a third party. I will not fault these people though. After speaking to 7 law firms I just could not do it anymore and asked a friend if he could help. He did what he could and had a friend of his send the demand letter. Both are lawyers, but neither charged me and I won’t fault them for anything they did to help.
Please read on to find the update and picture of original email.
The explanation
At this time I was so tired of rowing the boat, still am some days, even once feeling that I could let go of this for a moment is enough to be grateful for.
So better or worse, I don’t know. Original email text in italics, “the attorney’s answer in bold italics and quote marks”, and my take on it in neither. The original email thread is at the bottom.
I’m still looking for the information about who was RJ Testerman’s last attorney and what exactly he said. I was told that he was an attorney that had represented the church, not Mr. Zamora? “He represented to me that he was Mr. Testerman’s attorney. My research of his firm’s website and attorney bios revealed that he had previously represented / defended the Catholic Church on at least 2 major cases.”
I hadn’t added this about the pedophile lawyer in the original post because it was a vague reference from my friend and I didn’t want to be hyperbolic. Lawyers who defend pedophiles aren’t cheap. It did not go unnoticed by anyone that RJ Testerman was willing to pay a high priced lawyer to say he was broke, and that he didn’t deny the harm from taking my virginity at 13 and trafficking me at 17.
Also, that the lawyer said they thought the statute of Limitations was over, “He never specifically stated that the SOL had run. We discussed aspects of settlement and during those discussions the timing of the events was mentioned. There are time limits that an injured part must bring a suit for damages and you would need to consult w/ an expert in that area of the law to determine the ability for your suit to overcome the SOL issue.”
I consulted with another lawyer after this, another friend of my friend. This next attorney was the first to meet with me in person. He researched and gave me the statue and code, but also refused to help. I couldn’t tell if he didn’t believe me, or the lack of a clear way for him to get paid discouraged him. I talk more in depth about the statute in The Law.
…and that he didn’t own anything to go after even if we got a judgement. “He did state that Mr. Testerman had few assets, that his sister owned the ‘business’ and it was not possible for him to settle the case for $100,000…or more.”
I didn’t know his sister owned the business? Rhonda? I think that is a mistake. She has a load of money, but how much will she put in for a legal defense of her brother? Knowing that those things she always suspected about our relationship is true or worse has made her no more compassionate, for me at least. I wonder how many people would be willing to perjure themselves to protect him? In the end not many. Here is one of my memories of Rhonda when I was 18 years old.
Also, He offered me $10,000 dollars. “Mr. Zamora hinted that $10,000 might be a workable number during our settlement talks, however, he never said “will she take $10,000 to go away.”
and threatened that if I used my own money they would drag it out until I was broke. “Mr. Zamora never said that they would drag the case out…The nature of this type of litigation is expensive and as defendant’s attorney it is their duty to conduct discovery…take depositions…and mount a vigorous defense. This representation cost money… a lot of money…easily $30K – $40K…before trial…w/ an additional $30K at trial.”
So it seems a lot of my original conclusions were limited, perhaps because the verbal conversation was incredibly stressful. I think my friend felt really bad about his inability to help me as well. It doesn’t change anything for me, but at least someone finally gave me an estimate of the costs. Like I said I didn’t pay him so what could I realistically expect? I’m grateful for what he could do.
Context
When all this happened I was trying to navigate the legal system as well as resource mental health care. It was not easy. My demand letter never said anything about RJ’s retirement from teaching, they wouldn’t put it in there.
People always say wow, it must be tough sharing all this publicly, and yes it is. What’s harder though is telling strangers over and over what happened with hope of help, only to be told there was none available for me. That was heartbreaking, this is actually easier. I don’t have to wait for someone decide to help me, I’m helping myself.
What now?
I can’t sleep at night knowing what I do now about what really happened between RJ and I, and knowing he is still out there selling the same line of BS to others. I was his voice for so long, his staunchest supporter, and I must stop him. The response I have had so far has confirmed the need for me to press on. Regardless if I ever get a legal remedy, I will continue to do everything in my power to warn people about him and expose how he operates.
Statistics = Reality
“The prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to determine because it is often not reported; experts agree that the incidence is far greater than what is reported to authorities. ”
–Victims of Crime
- 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse;
- Self-report studies show that 20% of adult females and 5-10% of adult males recall a childhood sexual assault or sexual abuse incident;
- During a one-year period in the U.S., 16% of youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized;
- Over the course of their lifetime, 28% of U.S. youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized;
- Children are most vulnerable to CSA between the ages of 7 and 13.
