Many young people today struggle with debt. Student loans, medical debt, or simply drowning in credit card obligations are all too common. Some of these people turn to sugar dating.
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What is Sugar Dating?
This occurs when an older, rich man (the sugar daddy) and a younger woman (the sugar baby) in financial need enter into a mutually beneficial arrangement. Occasionally, the older person is a woman, and the sugar baby is a male.
The sugar daddy provides financial compensation for services rendered by the sugar baby. Often these services are sexual, although sometimes, the sugar baby does other tasks for the sugar daddy.
What Are Some of the Dangers of Sugar Dating?
The imbalance of power between the sugar daddy and sugar baby can cause the younger person to get into trouble. Here are some cautionary tales:
- Murder. A University of Utah student, Mackenzie Lueck, paid the ultimate price of a sugar dating arrangement gone bad. She and an older man, Ayoola Ajayi, began sending messages to each other on an app. Eventually, they met face to face. It did not turn out well – Ajayi murdered Mackenzie and later admitted he did it because he was curious what it would feel like to kill someone.
Scams. Sometimes the purported sugar daddy doesn’t actually have much money. In one case, the victim was Chandler Fowles. A 24-year-old without a job or boyfriend, she moved to New York City. She found a job, but due to college debt and the exorbitant cost of living in New York, Chandler couldn’t make ends meet. She heard about sugar dating and eventually hooked up with an older man claiming he was an investment banker. The sugar daddy convinced Chandler and her friend to have sex with him in a hotel room. He promised to pay with a mobile app and helped Chandler set up the payment account. The sugar daddy made a show of transferring $2,500 to her, but it turned out the payment was never executed, and she and her friend never got paid. The sugar daddy was eventually identified as a student at a local university.- Crime. The influence and pressure exerted by a sugar daddy extend beyond requests for sex. In one case, Isabelle Lagace was an escort who found something more permanent – a sugar daddy. However, this one was interested in more than sex. Instead, he used his dominance to pressure Isabelle into smuggling drugs. Unfortunately, the sugar baby was caught and sentenced to five years in an Australian prison.
- Sexually transmitted diseases. Not only can the nature of a sugar dating relationship pressure the sugar baby into sex, but it can also result in pressure to have unsafe sex. If so, STDs are a risk.
What if I have Been Sexual Assaulted by a Sugar Daddy?
If you’ve been raped by a rich man or otherwise suffered sugar daddy abuse, you have legal options. Sexual assault is not only a crime but can also result in civil liability for the perpetrator. You may be able to sue the sugar daddy under a multitude of legal theories. These include assault, battery, violation of privacy, and false imprisonment.
Assault by a Sugar Daddy
This occurs when the sugar daddy wants to cause the sugar baby apprehension of harmful contact. No touching is actually necessary.
Battery
To prove battery, the sugar baby must prove:
- An act by the sugar daddy;
- An intent by the sugar daddy to cause the victim harmful or offensive contact; and
- Actual harmful or offensive contact to the victim.
For example, sexual assault by a wealthy rich man could be the battery.
Invasion of Privacy
While the specifics vary from state to state, the sugar baby needs to prove:
- The sugar daddy’s intentional intrusion into the victim’s private life or solitude;
- That a reasonable person would find highly objectionable; and
- It results in an adverse effect on the victim.
Sexual harassment, falling short of physical assault, could qualify as an invasion of privacy and part of a sugar daddy lawsuit.
False Imprisonment
Finally, false imprisonment may be an option. This can be established if the sugar baby proves:
- The sugar daddy intentionally detained the victim;
- The detention made the plaintiff unable to leave or stay somewhere for a period of time;
- The victim did not consent to the detention; and
- The sugar daddy’s conduct caused the victim harm.
False imprisonment may be available when the sugar daddy restrains or otherwise forces his will upon the sugar baby.
What Kind of Damages Can I Receive?
If you’ve been sexually assaulted by a sugar daddy and proved your case in court, you could be entitled to compensation. This compensation, called damages, comes in three forms – economic, non-economic, and punitive.
Economic damages compensate you for the direct costs of the assault. For example, if you are violently sexually assaulted and end up with a broken arm, you could receive reimbursement for the medical costs associated with the injury. If the broken arm causes you to miss time from work, the sugar daddy may have to pay your lost wages.
Also common in sexual assault cases are non-economic damages, which compensate the victim for the pain and suffering associated with the assault. These damages can be significant, as sexual abuse often leaves a lasting impact on the victim.
Finally, there are punitive damages, which may be available if the conduct of the sugar daddy was particularly egregious. These damages are designed to punish the sugar daddy and to deter others from acting in a similar manner. The extent to which punitive damages may be available varies greatly depending on the state where you live.
Sexual Abuse Attorneys
Many younger Americans are in financial distress. Sometimes, the allure of a lavish lifestyle and elimination of worry about debt seduce them into a sugar dating relationship.
However, the dangers of the relationship cannot be overstated, and occasionally the dominance of the sugar daddy may turn consensual sex into sexual assault. If this happens to you, don’t suffer in silence. Help is available – our experienced sexual abuse lawyers are ready to zealously represent you to help get you the compensation you deserve.
