Court upholds $1 million judgment to UMC rape victim

By Cy Ryan (contact)

Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009 | 5:31 p.m.

CARSON CITY – The Nevada Supreme Court has upheld a $1 million judgment to a woman who says she was raped several times while a patient at University Medical Center in Las Vegas in June 2003.

The court rejected the appeal of Eduardo Licon, who was an employee of the hospital at the time of the attack.

Licon is serving a sentence of three to 12 years at Indian Springs Prison on a conviction of attempted sexual assault.

In the civil case, District Judge Kenneth Cory entered a default judgment when Licon failed to appear. At a subsequent hearing for damages, Licon participated by phone and Judge Cory awarded the $1 million to the woman.

Licon, now 49, claimed this civil judgment should be reversed because University Medical Center and Clark County did not provide him legal representation.

The court said the record of the case fails to show that Licon was entitled to receive attorneys from the hospital or the county.