A billionaire heir to a Coca-Cola bottling fortune has been ordered to pay $900m (£710m) in damages to a former employee in a landmark sexual assault case.
The Los Angeles court's ruling on Monday is believed to be the largest amount ever awarded in compensation to a victim of an alleged crime of this nature.
British-Cypriot businessman Alkiviades David, 56, is alleged to have raped his former employee in a series of increasingly aggressive assaults that took place between February 2016 and April 2019.
Although heir to the Coca-Cola fortune, David is successful in his own right and made money through Hologram USA, which brought famous artists, including Michael Jackson, to life in hologram form.
Throughout the proceedings, the court heard several shocking claims about the businessman, including the use of a pornographic image with the legend “HIS ASS” on the door of his company's human resources department.
Her behavior was allegedly so prolific that her office became known among staff as the “rape room.”
Prosecutor Gary Dordick said: “This monumental verdict marks a significant victory for justice and sets a precedent in the fight against workplace sexual assault.”
The woman, known as Jane Doe, was subjected to “serious harassment and sexual assault, including rape” by the businessman, according to her lawyer.
According to the lawsuit, the woman was warned of her employer's “alarmingly hostile” actions toward women when another employee claimed he had kissed her without consent.
History is said to have repeated itself just weeks later on the billionaire's private Greek island when David attempted to kiss Doe on a work trip, who was then fired when she rejected his advances.
He proceeded to offer her employment again in 2018 and she accepted a position at his cannabis manufacturing company, Swiss-X.
This prompted David to invite the woman back to his hotel room to try the product and it was there that he sexually assaulted her again by forcing her to touch his genitals, it is alleged.
The abuse is said to have escalated to rape in April 2019 when he called Doe to an alleged business meeting. The lawsuit states that his dog, a Doberman pinscher, was present.
At this point, David was already beginning to face the consequences of his actions against different women, which had already cost him $80 million since 2014.
Other cases against the billionaire in 2016 were settled out of court.
But in April 2019, he was ordered to pay $8 million in damages to a woman who was fired after refusing to sleep with the businessman in a case that eerily echoed Doe's.
Dordick said: “The facts of this case are so despicable. “He raped my client while he was on civil trial in another case.”
Later that year, he was ordered to pay the largest sum to a victim to date when his former production assistant Mahim Khan was awarded $58 million in his sexual assault case.
This case occurred after he thrust his pelvis into her face to create the impression that she was performing oral sex on him.
At that time, the businessman was told to “never think about raping another woman's body.”
David denied all claims against him in 2019, saying: “I never touched any of these women.”
He alleged The daily beast in 2021, before they sentenced me to pay $900 million: “They have completely exhausted my cash resources.”
“Fortunately I have a great mother, God bless her, who has supported me a lot.”
Despite this, 2020 Sunday Times Rich List estimates David's net worth at £2.35 billion.
The independent An Alkiviades David representative has been contacted for comment.
Rape Crisis offers support to people affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn at 800-656-HOPE (4673)
