BRIDGEPORT (CT)
The Connecticut Post
DANIEL TEPFER dtepfer@ctpost.com
BRIDGEPORT — A Superior Court jury on Thursday awarded $5 million to a former city man who claimed to have been sexually abused by a landscaper at St. Theresa's Church in Trumbull more than 30 years ago.
Michael Powel, 47, broke into tears and hugged his lawyer, Helen McGonigle, as Judge Edward F. Stodolink read the verdict.
But the award against landscaper Carlo Fabbozzi may end up being only a moral victory. Fabbozzi, 78, who lives at 3900 Park Ave., did not appear for the trial. The defense table was noticeably empty as McGonigle presented her case to the jury.
With no defense, it took the jury of four men and two women less than an hour to find Fabbozzi responsible for injuring Powel and award him economic damages of $2 million and punitive damages of $3 million.
Attempts to reach Fabbozzi at his home Thursday were unsuccessful.
"I did this for the children, to make sure no one else is hurt like I was hurt," said Powel who fought a four-year battle for vindication of his allegations. "That's what it's all about."