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Legislation Would Lift Pain-and-Suffering Caps in Rape Cases

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Proposed legislation in the Ohio House would lift caps on pain-and-suffering awards in lawsuits brought by rape victims.

The bill introduced this month by two Democratic lawmakers stems from a 2016 Ohio Supreme Court ruling that threw out a $3.6 million jury award to a woman raped by her pastor at age 15. The court reduced the award to about $385,000 based on a 2005 law meant to limit awards in all lawsuits.

A similar bill to exempt rape victims from the caps that was introduced shortly after that 2016 court ruling went nowhere.