Jaycee Dugard Lawsuit Over Kidnapper Phillip Garrido’s Parole Dismissed By Appeals Court

Jaycee Dugard’s lawsuit that targeted the U.S. government for federal parolee Phillip Garrido‘s abduction of her in 1991 has been dismissed.

Jaycee Dugard Lawsuit Dismissed

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the U.S. government cannot be held responsible for Dugard’s abduction, since she was not Garrido’s victim at the time he was granted parole, reported to the San Jose Mercury News. In order for the U.S. government to bear responsibility, a parolee has to target a prior or existing victim.

Dugard’s lawyers had argued that since Garrido had been convicted of a previous rape and abduction that federal officials should have revoked his parole.

Dugard was kidnapped June 10, 1991 in California at the age of 11 as she walked to a school bus stop. She was then kept in a structure in Garrido’s back yard for the next 18 years, during which time he repeatedly raped her. As a result of the ongoing sexual assaults, Dugard bore two daughters.

Garrido and his wife Nancy Garrido were arrested in 2009, when Dugard and her two daughters were discovered by law enforcement officials. Both of the Garridos pleaded guilty in 2011. Phillip Garrido was sentenced to 431 years in prison, while his wife was sentenced to 36 years to life.

Dugard has since penned two books about her experience – A Stolen Life (2011), and A Book of Firsts, which will be published in July of this year.