Grace Kang has worked as an attorney specializing in intellectual property and business law for 20 years, the last 16 in the greater Los Angeles area. A graduate of Stanford Law School, she said her proudest accomplishment is being a mother.
So when police and child protective services investigators showed up at her Beverly Hills home in June 2022 after her ex-boyfriend, fellow Stanford graduate Jason Varughese, accused her of physically abusing their toddler son, Kang said she was blindsided.
Authorities quickly concluded the allegations were unfounded and found no injuries on the boy, but Kang said the ordeal traumatized both her and her 8-year-old daughter from another relationship, who was also interviewed by investigators.
“This came from out of nowhere. I was completely floored that he would do that,” Kang said of Varughese, with whom she had broken up in 2021. “It was a nightmare. I still get very upset and emotional, and it’s four years later.”
A Los Angeles County jury ultimately sided with Kang, awarding her $4.5 million after concluding Varughese falsely accused her of child abuse as part of a custody and financial dispute. The verdict is believed to be the first civil jury award in California tied to a knowingly false child abuse report under the state’s mandated reporter law.
Kang sued Varughese in August 2022, about a month after the investigations closed, alleging false reporting and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She claimed the allegations...
The court heard even though he has been told there is no evidence his wife was ever attacked in any shape or form, the accused maintains 'he would do it again' and 'has no remorse' An entirely inno...