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Jul 12, 2021
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that 63-year-old William Lewald “Bill” Hutchinson, star of the Lifetime reality show “Marrying Millions” and a prominent Texas hotel developer, has been charged with sexually assaulting two 16-year-old girls who were vacationing with him in Laguna Beach.
Hutchinson reportedly brought the underage girls with him for vacation trips to his Laguna Beach home on two occasions. Court records indicate the multimillionaire real estate developer owns a home in the city’s Emerald Bay community.
The list of California charges filed against Hutchinson for the incidents involving the 16-year-old girls include:
According to prosecutors, Hutchinson sexually assaulted the two 16-year-old girls during an April vacation. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer indicated the 63-year-old property mogul raped one of the girls on April 1 and sexually assaulted the other girl four times during that trip. Court documents indicate Hutchinson then returned to the property a second time with one of the girls and committed a sexual battery on her.
The Los Angeles Times reported that an attorney representing one of the girls confirmed she was only 15 when she met Hutchinson through one of his daughters.
The charges announced Friday by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office come just one day after Hutchinson was also charged by authorities in Texas for felony sexual assault – this time involving a 17-year-old girl in an incident at his Dallas-area home.
According to an affidavit in that case, the 17-year-old reported the incident to police in early June, alleging that in May Hutchinson plied her and other minors with alcohol and marijuana at his Highland Park, Texas, home.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the teen told investigators she woke up to find Hutchinson touching her without her consent.
On July 7, Hutchinson reportedly turned himself in to Highland Park (Texas) Police. After being booked and processed, he was released on $30,000 bond.
“Anyone who knows me in this city knows that I am not capable of assault, sexual or otherwise,” Hutchinson said in a statement following his release from a Texas jail. “Hopefully all of my colleagues and friends will give me the benefit of the doubt until I prove my innocence in court.”
People magazine reported that Hutchinson appeared on both seasons of Lifetime’s “Marrying Millions,” which “follows wealthy people as they pursue romantic relationships with someone from the opposite end of the income scale.”
The real estate developer is engaged to 23-year-old Brianna Ramirez, whom he met at a Tex-Mex restaurant in Dallas where she was a hostess. The couple has been together for more than three years. Hutchinson has been married twice previously and has six children.
CBS 2 reported that Orange County District Attorney representative, Kimberly Edds, confirmed that an arrest warrant has also been issued for 63-year-old Hutchinson here in California.
Our Sexual Assault Justice Experts are here to help survivors secure justice. Contact our top-rated attorneys online or by phone for a free consultation today.
If convicted of all charges in Orange County, Hutchinson faces eight years in state prison and 2 1/2 years in jail.
Deputy District Attorney Raquel Cooper of the Sexual Assault Unit is reportedly prosecuting the case.
The allegations against Bill Hutchinson are an opportunity to better explain California’s AB 218 law, and how it impacts survivors of childhood sex crimes
Although the alleged sexual assaults occurred this past year, under AB 218 any survivor of childhood sexual abuse or assault has until the end of 2022 to file a civil claim in pursuit of financial compensation – regardless of how long ago the crime occurred.
That means that even if the alleged sexual assaults committed by Hutchinson occurred 40 years ago, the survivors would still be eligible to file a claim until AB 218’s “lookback window” expires on December 31, 2022.
AB 218’s three-year lookback window – which went into effect on January 1, 2020 – allows all survivors of childhood sex abuse to bring a civil claim and pursue justice in cases that were previously barred by the statute of limitations.
Accordingly, any sexual predator who harmed a child may face a civil claim until the end of 2022. After that point, however, survivors who endured child sex abuse many years ago will, unfortunately, be left without legal recourse. That’s why it’s strongly recommended that survivors file a claim with an experienced attorney as soon as possible to ensure their opportunity at justice is preserved.
In addition to the three-year lookback window clause within AB 218 (what’s known generally as a revival window and is occurring in a number of states due to recent legislation), the law stipulates the following:
That last bullet point, known as the ‘treble damages’ clause within AB 218, gives courts the power to triple financial damages awards (settlements or verdicts) issued to childhood sexual abuse survivors in cases where a cover-up is proven.
A cover-up can involve an individual or an institution, and the treble damages clause is meant to severely punish such bad actors. Under the treble damages clause, if a child sex abuse survivor was awarded $1 million in a settlement or verdict, that ultimate figure could actually be increased to $3 million in the event a cover-up was proven by the survivor’s attorney.
Dordulian Law Group (DLG) pursues treble damages in all applicable childhood sexual abuse cases we handle.
DLG was founded by former sex crimes prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County, Sam Dordulian. In that role, Dordulian successfully obtained life sentences against some of our community’s most dangerous sexual predators, accruing over 100 jury trial victories.
That’s a level of experience that simply can’t be found in most sexual abuse civil attorneys.
Today, Dordulian fights for sexual assault survivors in civil court, helping them recover maximum financial compensation and justice that, in many cases, is love overdue.
Dordulian created his firm’s Sex Crimes Division with the belief that:
A) Survivors often need additional resources beyond litigation expertise when navigating the legal process
B) All survivors deserve the absolute best legal representation and support, regardless of economic means
Accordingly, he created DLG’s SAJE Team (Sexual Assault Justice Experts) to offer survivors four-tiered representation and support that addresses many of the needs he’s witnessed through his nearly 20 years as a sex crimes attorney.
Contact our top-rated team of expert sexual abuse attorneys online or by phone today to pursue justice and secure a financial award for damages.
With DLG’s SAJE Team, survivors have 24/7 access to:
With DLG, survivors have access to critical resources and support, in addition to the experience and dedication of Sam Dordulian.
To file a claim under AB 218, please contact us urgently for a free consultation. The deadline for filing such a case is nearing, and survivors are strongly encouraged to not miss this unprecedented chance at justice. We’re available 24/7 online or by phone at 866-GO-SEE-SAM.
Our consultations are always free, and with our No Win/No Fee Guarantee you never have to worry about any upfront costs or out-of-pocket expenses. You pay nothing until we recover maximum financial compensation for your childhood sexual abuse claim.
Get the justice you deserve by contacting DLG’s experienced and dedicated SAJE Team today. With a 98% success record and over $200,000,000 in settlements and verdicts recovered for clients like you, DLG is the absolute best choice for a sexual assault attorney in the Los Angeles, California-area.
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