B.C. woman awarded $210,000 after sexual assault case
BC sexual assault damages: court awards $210,000 after a sexsomnia defence See the ruling details and how the judge assessed harm, trust, and recovery
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has awarded a woman $210,000 in damages more than 10 years after she was sexually assaulted by a man who argued he was affected by sexsomnia.
According to the court ruling released this week, Karl Antonius was convicted in 2020 of sexual assault for having unprotected sex with a woman after she fell asleep in his bed in 2015. He was sentenced to two years less a day, and the woman later learned he had been released on parole after serving a little more than seven months.
The woman filed a civil lawsuit in 2022 and was granted a default judgment in 2024 after Antonius did not respond. The latest ruling awards her $200,000 in nonpecuniary damages, plus more than $10,000 for special damages and future care costs. The court said the assault left her isolated, fearful, angry and depressed, and damaged her trust in others.