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Local law firm secures $22 million judgment against Ozark County man

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(Editor's Note: Online article includes correction from printed edition. We apologize for the error).
Mountain Grove lawyer Joshua D. Brown represented a minor victim in a case where a $22 million judgment was recently issued.

According to a press release, the $22 million judgment was awarded after a three day jury trial in a case against Tracy Todd Presson. Presson, a former Gainesville resident in Ozark County, is currently serving a 70-year sentence for the charges of coercion and enticement of a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor.

Brown, who is a partner as Pointer, Blackburn & Brown, brought the civil suit on behalf of Presson’s minor victim. Brown stated that his client did not wish to be named and that he did not want to disclose specific evidence or information about the case for the risk of identifying his client or forcing her to suffer further distress or embarrassment. Brown explained; however, that “the abuse perpetrated by Mr. Presson continued over several years and involved some of the most sinister behavior I have seen in my 12 years of law practice. Based on the jury’s award, which exceeded what I requested in closing argument, the jury clearly agreed.”

The jury reached its verdict on April 21, 2021 in Christian County following transfer of the case from Ozark County to minimize publicity. The jury found the plaintiff on each of five claims; assault, battery, false imprisonment, a cause of action specific to childhood sexual abuse and a cause of action specific to child pornography. The jury’s award is believed to be one of the largest jury verdicts issued in the Ozarks.

“We sought this judgment to ensure that Mr. Presson did not profit from his relationship with the victim or the victim’s family, and to send a clear and unmistakable message to other would-be abusers that such conduct will not be tolerated in the Ozarks.”