William Kennedy Smith, son of former U.S. Ambass. to Ireland, accused of rape (Chicago Tribune) -- Irish Media Watch Message Board

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Date Posted: 13:03:59 08/28/04 Sat GMT
Author: Lynn
Subject: William Kennedy Smith, son of former U.S. Ambass. to Ireland, accused of rape (Chicago Tribune)

William Kennedy Smith accused in civil suit of sexual assault

By Mike Robinson
Associated Press Writer

August 26, 2004

A Chicago woman claims that fear of the Kennedy family's power and money kept her silent for five years after William Kennedy Smith sexually assaulted her, while he denies attacking her and says she filed her civil lawsuit only after he refused to pay $3 million.

"On Jan. 16, 1999, my innocence was involuntarily taken from me by someone I trusted and respected," the woman, Audra Soulias, said in a quavering voice Thursday at a news conference. "It was taken from me in a manner that will haunt me to the day I die."

The 43-year-old Kennedy cousin, who was cleared of rape charges in 1991, said in a statement from the Center for International Rehabilitation he heads that his "family and personal history have made me unusually vulnerable to these kinds of charges."

In 1991, a jury in West Palm Beach, Fla., acquitted Smith of sexual assault and battery on a then 30-year-old woman he met in a nightclub. He said the sex between him and the accuser, Patricia Bowman, had been consensual.

Soulias, 28, who formerly worked for Smith, said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court that he assaulted her in his bedroom early the morning of Jan. 16, 1999.

She said the rehabilitation medicine specialist bought her a number of drinks during a night on the town with friends to celebrate her birthday and after she was drunk he took her by cab to his home.

She said he dragged her into the house, took her upstairs to his bedroom and raped her.

"Today I am putting William Kennedy Smith on notice. You will not victimize another woman and be able to keep it silent if I can help it," Soulias said.

Soulias did not take questions at the news conference.

She continued to work for Smith afterward and had even had sex with him on a number of occasions, her attorney said.

Soulias attorney Kevin O'Reilly said the alleged assault consisted of "digital penetration" against his client's will. He said the continued contact between the two was typical behavior in cases of "acquaintance rape."

The lawsuit alleged Soulias has suffered "great physical and emotional pain and discomfort" and "a permanently impaired earning capacity" because of the alleged incident. Soulias is seeking at least $50,000 as compensation.

The Center for International Rehabilitation, which helps land mine victims, issued a joint statement with Smith, its president, Wednesday calling the allegations "outrageous, untrue and without merit."

"Ms. Soulias has demanded payment of $3 million," the statement said. O'Reilly denied she sought the money.

"Despite the time, energy and resources that will be needlessly wasted fighting these allegations, the organization cannot in any way endorse her claims or agree to her unwarranted demands," Smith said in the statement.

O'Reilly said Soulias quit her job working for Smith after about six months and stopped having sexual relations because she was "just feeling too guilty and too distraught over the whole circumstance." He said Soulias has been unable to hold a job since then.

He said she took her story to prosecutors two years ago but that they believed it would be too hard to prove. He said he did not know exactly which prosecutors she had consulted.

According to the lawsuit, Smith left voice mails for Soulias the morning after the alleged incident, apologized for his behavior and said, "It was not your fault," "I have a problem," and "I will get help if you want me to."

Also that morning Soulias met with co-worker Laura Hamilton, told her of the incident, showed her bruises on her back and arms and played the voice mail messages, according to the lawsuit.

"They both agreed that the defendant would use his wealth and connections to succeed in escaping legal responsibility and she would be discredited and further victimized," the lawsuit alleged.

The lawsuit claimed that in 2003 Hamilton and another woman filed complaints against Smith with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that he had harassed them sexually.

David Grinberg, an EEOC spokesman in Washington, said complaints to the commission do not become public record unless they lead to legal action.

According to the lawsuit, Soulias tried to tell her story last January to an attorney retained by the center's board to investigate sexual harassment claims of female employees. The attorney declined to accept information Soulias offered, the lawsuit contends.

On Jan. 9, Smith left voice mails for Soulias saying he had received "disturbing news" concerning her complaint and asking Soulias to call him immediately, according to the lawsuit. It claimed the calls were made "with the intent of intimidating and causing the plaintiff severe emotional distress, physical distress and mental anguish."

Smith's mother is former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith. He is the nephew of Democratic U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts.

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