Charles Cole Obtains Favorable Verdict in a "Sex Slave" Case

Charles Cole, current Director of the IADC Trial Academy, along with Margaret Fitzsimmons, both of Schuyler, Roche and Crisham in Chicago, obtained a jury verdict for the defendant in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in one of the strangest cases ever reported. 

The plaintiff, Kimberly O'Brien, age 52, sues her ex-husband Kenneth Anderson, age 57, on claims of sexual assault, false imprisonment, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She contended that he forced her to be a sex slave and to engage in sadomasochistic role-playing against her will. She claimed that her wealthy businessman husband forced her to parade around their home naked, sleep on the floor next to their bed at night and address him as "master." She also claimed that Anderson knocked her unconscious on their California honeymoon in 2005, tied her up, sexually assaulted her, took photographs and left her bound overnight. She also claimed that he forced her to have an abortion against her will. The plaintiff sought substantial compensatory damages along with punitive damages.

The defense was successful in challenging all of these unfounded claims and in showing that many of the events either did not happen or did not happen in the way described by the plaintiff. The defendant admitted to engaging in some consensual "sex play" with his former wife both before and during the three month marriage. The defense was also successful in showing that the plaintiff was motivated by her lack of success in the divorce case that was filed before the plaintiff brought this civil tort matter. In closing argument, Cole portrayed the plaintiff as an unstable "gold digger" who initiated the kinky sex herself and schemed to take her husband's money. The jury deliberated for a little more than four hours before returning a defense verdict.