$250,000 Verdict: Fargo Parents Found 40% at Fault for Sexual Assault on Teen Guest

On the night of October 18, 2019, a 15-year-old girl -- referred to in court records as Jane Doe -- went to spend the night at her best friend's Fargo home. The friend's parents, identified by the pseudonyms Paul and Pauline Poe, were present in the house. Three teenage boys were in the basement with the two girls that night, including Jane's boyfriend, whom the Poe family knew.

While the Poes slept upstairs, Jane was sexually assaulted by her boyfriend in the basement. The assault occurred while both girls had been drinking. Six weeks before the incident, Pauline Poe had caught the girls drinking and told them directly that bad things can happen in that situation. The Poes did not share that warning incident with Jane's parents.

Jane and her family filed a civil lawsuit against the Poes, arguing that the couple's failure to supervise the gathering in their home created the conditions for the assault. The case went to trial in Cass County District Court in April 2024, with Lindsay Wilz and Duane Lillehaug of Maring Williams Law Office representing the plaintiff.

The theory at trial centered on premises liability and negligent supervision. The Poes knew minors were gathering unsupervised in their basement late at night, had prior notice that alcohol use was a risk with these same girls, and took no steps to monitor the situation or alert Jane's parents to that history.

After roughly two and a half hours of deliberation, the nine-person jury returned a verdict of $250,000 in favor of Jane Doe. Jurors apportioned fault at 40% to Paul and Pauline Poe (20% each), 58% to Jane's boyfriend as the direct perpetrator, and 2% to the person who supplied alcohol to the minors. The verdict was returned on April 19, 2024.