Cases

A mother and daughter sued four related religious organizations and two individual officials alleging that defendants “brainwashed” the daughter into joining religious movement and thereafter conspired to conceal her from her parents.

A jury awarded compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $32 million, which was reduced by the trial court to $2,910,000.

Defendants appealed and plaintiff cross-appealed. The Court of Appeal affirmed in part and reversed in part.  It held that: (1) the daughter could not recover for false imprisonment or intentional infliction of emotional distress; (2) the mother could recover for intentional infliction of emotional distress based on defendant’s enticement of the 15-year-old girl away from her parents’ custody and concealment from her parents of their child’s whereabouts; (3) the mother could recover against defendants for libel based on a press release issued by a member of the organization; and (4) the daughter could recover for wrongful death of the father due to his heart condition exacerbated by the stress of searching for his daughter.