PLANT CITY, Fla. – Six years after the alleged rape of a child, subsequent law enforcement investigations and extensive litigation, a Hillsborough County judge has decided that a civil case against a prominent Tampa landscaping magnate’s estate will proceed to trial.
In 2013, J.W. Thomas, a notable Tampa area business owner who completed work on many schools, youth sports and athletic complexes, raped, molested and falsely imprisoned a 13-year-old-girl on different occasions, the legal complaint alleges. The complaint also describes an instance, where Thomas allegedly attempted to persuade the victim into having her 13-year-old-friend over to stay at a slumber party at his house so the three of them could spend the evening together.
Following the assaults, the mother of the victim confronted her daughter after she reportedly began acting out and demonstrated changes in her behavior including self-injury. The victim, whose stepfather had worked for Thomas, then told her mother about the assaults and her mother took her to a local hospital and contacted Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the complaint states. According to a study published on the National Institute of Health’s website, self-injury is common with victims of sexual abuse, and survivors of abuse are significantly more likely to perform deliberate self-harm.
After the victim’s disclosure, Thomas committed suicide with a handgun while Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies were on their way to question him at his home.
Without a living person to prosecute criminally, the civil suit has dragged on since 2014, due to apparent disputes between the estate and Florida Farm Bureau Insurance, about whether or not there was a duty for the insurance company to defend the estate. Records indicate that in addition to the insurance company’s team of attorneys, the estate has their own private team of attorneys, who have worked tirelessly to drag things out, the victim’s attorneys claim.
Earlier this year, Hillsborough County Judge Rex Barbas ruled that the insurance company does have a duty to defend. Since then, attorneys for both the estate and the victim have filed motions for sanctions against Florida Farm Bureau Insurance Company for failure to attend mediation in good faith.
In addition to the complaint and the pending trial, attorneys for the victim worry that Thomas may have had more victims.
“While the facts of this case are tragic, it’s extremely troubling to think that more victims could be out there given J.W. Thomas’s efforts to further his behavior and his access to schools, youth sports and athletic complexes across the state of Florida, particularly here in the Tampa Bay area,” said Josh Drechsel, principal at Josh Firm, a St. Petersburg-based law firm specializing in personal injury, and an attorney representing the victim. “If someone else out there was raped or molested by J.W. Thomas, or anyone for that matter, we hope they will find some encouragement that they, too, can and should come forward.”
The trial date has been set for Nov. 18, 2019, and will take place in Hillsborough County Court.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, most rapes and sexual assaults are not reported to police. Statistics show 65 percent of attempted rapes and 74 percent of attempted sexual assaults were not reported. Another report conducted by the Justice Resource Institute, found a significant number of rapists were likely to be repeat offenders.
Thomas co-founded QGS Development and Quality Turf, and according to the company’s website, performed work for Disney, YMCA, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Yankees, USF, the University of Florida, and several elementary schools and youth sports complexes, which are used regularly by thousands of children and student athletes.
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