The Revenge
The assault happened in April 2009.Tilton, then 45 year old, was looking for Siegerist at Delta high school in his truck. In the days before, Siegerist had punched Tilton’s younger son, S.T., in the face after the younger Tilton told Siegerist that he had kissed Siegerist’s girlfriend. Both boys had also verbally insulted each other.
Tilton was with his older son, M.T., in the front seat, and two male adults in the back, wielding metal batons.
When they spotted Siegerist, Tilton stopped his truck abruptly.
The Threat
When Tilton and his older son arrived at the scene, Tilton told the two men to let his older son “get in there,” according to the court rulings in 2011. The men stopped and the two boys started to wrestle.Tilton “uttered words of encouragement” to his older son, and said to Siegerist, “This is what you get.”
The Aftermath
Siegerist suffered concussion, a fractured nose, and bruises over his body. Now 26, Siegerist claims that he suffered from “paranoia, anxiety, and depression.” He became hyper-vigilant and says he feels that any man close to his age may attack him. He also suffers from migraines.Siegerist’s mother told the court that since the attack, Siegerist had frequent emotional outbursts and was like “a rollercoaster of emotions, presenting on some days very somber and on others, crying and feeling helpless, with no sense of belonging and feeling unsafe,” summarizes the judgement.
The Tension, Again
Tilton represented himself in the recent court hearings cross-examined Siegerist directly.Justice Paul Walker noted that Siegerist “was clearly distressed in having to face questions directly from Mr. Tilton.”
During the cross examination, Tilton asked Siegerist if he could sense he really meant “Are you okay?” when he asked him after the attack.
“No,” Siegerist said. “And if you did which was not what I recall, it was in an extremely belittling manner. You were trying to assert dominance is what I felt, over a 14-year-old boy,” he continued.
The Verdict
Justice Walker accepted Siegerist’s evidence that the assault was “etched in his memory.”“His psychological symptoms are akin to PTSD,” Walker said. “His physical and psychological injuries have affected all aspects of his life.”
In compensation to Siegerist, Walker awarded him a total amount of $479,376.88 for the injuries he suffered from the assault. It includes non-pecuniary (unrelated to money) damages, loss of past earning capacity, loss of future income earning capacity, cost of future care, and aggravated damages.