August 30, 2005
Tuesday was day two of a civil trial involving a UVA student, who accused a former classmate of raping her nearly four years ago. Now Annie Hylton is seeking more than $1,000,000 in damages from UVA Grad Matt Hamilton.
Hylton has accused Hamilton of drugging her and then having sex with her against her will. Today, emotions were high inside the Charlottesville Circuit Courthouse as experts, friends, and Hylton's mother took the stand.
The witnesses all described Hylton before and after the alleged rape, noting noticeable changes in her behavior.
The nature of civil suits allows individuals to seek damages without a conviction or admission of guilt from the accused.
According to one of the witnesses, the Virginia Commonwealth did not prosecute Matt Hamilton after the alleged incident due to a lack of evidence.
Attorneys expect the case to conclude Wednesday.
