Full title: BLANCHARD E. TUAL, as ADMINISTATOR, etc., Plaintiff and Respondent, v. ROBERT BLAKE, Defendant and Appellant.
Court: Court of Appeal of California
Date published: Apr 25, 2008
Facts
Blake is an actor who began acting as a child and performed in movies and on television for many years. He was single when he met Bakley in 1999, and they began a sexual relationship. Bakley lived in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the time. She ran a mail-order business, selling nude photographs of herself to older men and promising to meet them. She had three children and resided with Paul Gawron, whom she had married and divorced, but continued to live with. She was on probation and confined to the state of Arkansas.
Bakley visited Blake in Los Angeles for sexual liaisons. She also carried on a relationship with Christian Brando in the State of Washington during the same period. She had a previous relationship with Jerry Lee Lewis and had named a daughter Jeri Lee Lewis after him.
Issue
Decision
The judgment is modified to reduce the damages award to $15 million and is affirmed as so modified, on the condition that the plaintiff timely consents in writing to such a reduction under California Rules of Court, Rule 8.264(d). If no consent is filed within the time allowed, the judgment is reversed as to the amount of damages only and is remanded for a new trial to determine the amount of damages, liability having been established. Each party is to bear its costs on appeal.
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