In the Media
Ohio State Football Players V. Personal Injury Lawyer
Ohio State Buckeyes V. Personal Injury Lawyer
Insider Exclusive, “Justice in America” Network TV Special
In the early 2000s, the insurance industry successfully convinced states like Ohio to implement limits on the amount of non-economic damages that personal injury victims. But there are consequences for sexual assault victims like Jessica Simpkns, who received a multi-million verdict for her pain and suffering after being sexually assaulted by her church pastor. Her compensation was slashed down to a fraction by tort laws promoted by the insurance industry and big business. Simpkins and John Fitch of The Fitch Law Firm sat down with Insider to spread awareness on how Ohio’s tort reform laws protect sexual predators and their enablers, sharing the legal story behind Jessica Simpkin’s final verdict.
NBC 4 Spectrum
Principal and founder of The Fitch Law Firm (John Fitch) sits down with NBC 4 Spectrum news to discuss the Ohio laws that prevented his client, Amanda Brandt, from receiving the full amount awarded to her in a civil suit against notorious sexual predator Roy Pompa. Although the jury decided upon a $20 million award, the courts felt bound by preceding tort reform laws and a previous Ohio Supreme Court decision, cutting the award down to a fraction. Now, attorney John Fitch argues that the law, which protects child predators and their enablers, should be declared unconstitutional.
The Ohio Channel – All Sides
John Fitch of The Fitch Law Firm joins radio talk show host Ann Fisher in conversation with Jessica Simpkins to discuss the reality of sexual abuse survivors hoping to get justice for their case and rethinking how Ohio tort reform laws treat sexual assault victims. They’ll discuss Simpkin’s own case, precedents that informed her case’s decision, and how Ohio tort caps (limits on non-economic damages) operate to limit the rights of victims of child sexual abuse.
Cincinnati Local 12 Investigates
At 15 years old, Jessica Simpkins was raped by her church pastor, altering her and her life forever. A jury awarded her $3.5 million for the pain and suffering she experienced due to the church’s negligence, but the award was cut down to $250,000 due to Ohio Senate Bill 80, which caps most non-monetary damages at this number except in cases where catastrophic injury has occurred. John Fitch, founder of The Fitch Law Firm, appealed the case all the way to Ohio’s Supreme Court, but the decision remained: the law would maintain these damage caps.
Fox News
Speaking with Fox News, Amanda Nolan (formerly Brandt) discusses her experience as a childhood sexual abuse survivor and the lifetime of trauma that resulted from its violence. When she took her abuser, Roy Pompa, to civil court as an adult, the jury awarded her, in part, $20 million for her suffering during a certain time frame, only for her award to be slashed down to $250,000 due to Ohio’s tort reform laws. Her attorney, John Fitch of The Fitch Law Firm, appealed this decision all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, but the decision to cut her award remained.
Illuminating Injustice Award
In 2017, Jessica Simpkins received the Public Justice’s Illuminating Injustice Award for the work she’s done to educate the public on Ohio laws that have prevented sexual abuse survivors like her from receiving full justice through the civil courts system. Together, Jessica Simpkins and John Fitch of The Fitch Law Firm discuss their attempts to seek justice against the pastor who abused her and the church that protected him as well as the Ohio laws that cut her awarded damages down to a fraction of the jury’s verdict.