BLAMING THE VICTIM?

LAWSUITS On August 28, 1990, as her four children watched in horror, LAQUENTA COLEMAN, 27, was attacked by five men in her South Dallas apartment. Shots fired by one of the men left her paralyzed, a quadriplegic who will spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Four of the men pled guilty to assault; another was found guilty by a judge. After a story about Coleman’s need for transportation, a generous local woman donated a wheelchair lift.

But there’s a twist. In October, Coleman filed suit against the owners and management of Fawn Ridge Village Apartments. Her lawyer, BRIAN EBERSTEIN, charged that inadequate security measures led to the attack and Coleman’s injuries, as well as an attack on her 8-year-old daughter and trauma suffered by her three younger children. He asked $100 million in damages.

While Coleman is certainly a victim, she may not be an entirely innocent victim. In the trial of her attacker, Coleman testified that at the time of the attack, she was a prostitute addicted to crack cocaine. She also admitted that she had invited the men to her apartment in order to trade sex for crack. This past November, the apartment owners filed a counterclaim, saying that any damages were caused by Coleman’s behavior.

Coleman’s lawyer then asked for a “dismissal without prejudice.” Coleman has until August 1992, two years from the date she was injured, to file again.