Jamie Leigh Jones
Encyclopedia
Jamie Leigh Jones was an employee of KBR, an American engineering, construction and private military contracting company. She is notable for accusing then fellow KBR employees of drugging and gang-raping her on July 28, 2005, at Camp Hope
, Baghdad, Iraq. A federal grand jury investigated her claims but issued no indictments.
Jones filed a civil suit against KBR and one of its former employees for over $114 million in damages. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendants, finding that the sex between Jones and the employee was consensual, and therefore no rape had occurred, and that KBR did not defraud her.
Jones is the founder of the Jamie Leigh Foundation, an advocacy agency for victims of sexual assault
.
According to Jones, on July 28, 2005, one of her fellow KBR employees offered her a drink containing a date rape
drug, although a subsequent blood test did not detect any date rape drugs. Jones says that while she was unconscious, several men engaged in unprotected anal
and vagina
l gang-rape on her. She says that "when she awoke the next morning still affected by the drug, she found her body naked and severely bruised, with lacerations to her vagina and anus, blood running down her leg, her breast implants ruptured, and her pectoral muscles torn – which would later require reconstructive surgery
. Upon walking to the rest room, she passed out again." The doctor who examined Jones gave the rape kit used to gather evidence from Jones to KBR/Halliburton
security forces, and three hours later they turned the kit over to the U.S. government. According to Jones, in early 2007 a spokesperson at the State Department told her that photographs and doctor's notes were missing from the kit.
Jones says that KBR officials locked her in a trailer after she informed them of the rape and would not permit her to call her family. After approximately one day, says Jones, a sympathetic guard gave her a cell phone and she called her father, Tom, who in turn contacted U.S. Representative Ted Poe
(R
-TX
) who contacted the State Department. Agents were dispatched from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
and removed Jones from KBR custody. A 2006 EEOC investigation found that Jones was not locked in a trailer by KBR but placed in a "secure location" before being returned to Texas.
. Robert Scott (D
-VA
) stated that the DOJ "seems to be taking action with respect to enforcement of criminal laws in Iraq only when it is forced to do something by embarrassing media coverage." In a 2007 interview, Ted Poe
, a former Texas judge, stated that the United States has jurisdiction over U.S. contractors when they are accused of committing a crime against a U.S. national in a federal enclave.
Jones testified again before the Judiciary Committee on October 7, 2009, concerning Senator Al Franken
's amendment to the FY 2010 Defense Appropriation Bill
, to restrict contracts with companies that use mandatory arbitration in their employment contracts. This measure was passed by the Senate, prompted by her case.
, and one of its former employees (one of the firefighters whom she alleged raped her). KBR asked the court to compel arbitration
based on her employment contract. On September 15, 2009, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals
, in a 2-1 decision, ruled that Jones's lawsuit may proceed in court.
The trial began in the Southern District of Texas on June 14, 2011. Jones's attorney argued that KBR had known about widespread sexual harassment but had ignored it because the remedy was too expensive. The defense argued that Jones fabricated her story of being drugged and raped because she was embarrassed about the consensual sex and wanted to get out of her year-long contract with KBR three days after she arrived.
Jones's first attending physician testified that Jones had not suffered damage to her breast implants or chest during the alleged attack. KBR's lawyers also brought out that on two prior occasions Jones had reported being raped and that she had taken medication for anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.
On July 8, the jury returned a verdict that rejected all of Jones's claims, finding that the sex between Jones and the employee was consensual and therefore no rape had occurred, and that KBR did not defraud her. Jones said, "I just thought that the physical evidence would help. I guess the fact that my entire life was on display and (his) wasn’t" made a difference. Bolen, a KBR spokeswoman, said, "The outcome of this jury trial as judged by her peers is the same result that the State Department got in 2005; that the Justice Department found in 2008. We are deeply gratified that the justice system has worked."
KBR later filed a motion to recover more than $2 million in attorney fees and court costs. In the motion KBR states that Jones' hostile work environment and rape claims were fabricated and frivolous.
, Department of Justice
, several attorneys, and State of Texas Workmen's Compensation and the Assistant United States Attorney. Jones met a member of the U.S. Navy, an aviation mechanic, Joseph Kallan Daigle in 2005, and the two married in September 2006. She obtained an Associate of Arts degree from North Harris College
in 2007. Later, Jones was pursuing a Bachelor's degree
in Criminal Justice
at the American Military University and expected to graduate from the program in March 2008.
Camp War Eagle
Camp War Eagle was the name of the United States Army camp located at the Northeast corner of the Baghdad slum known as Sadr City. It was established in May 2003 by 1st Squadron 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and B Company 2nd Battalion 37th Armor Regiment which is an element of 1st Brigade, 1st...
, Baghdad, Iraq. A federal grand jury investigated her claims but issued no indictments.
Jones filed a civil suit against KBR and one of its former employees for over $114 million in damages. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendants, finding that the sex between Jones and the employee was consensual, and therefore no rape had occurred, and that KBR did not defraud her.
Jones is the founder of the Jamie Leigh Foundation, an advocacy agency for victims of sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
.
Jones's accusations
Jones began working for KBR as an administrative assistant when she was 19 and started working in Iraq on July 24, 2005.According to Jones, on July 28, 2005, one of her fellow KBR employees offered her a drink containing a date rape
Date rape
"Date rape", often referred to as acquaintance rape, is an assault or attempted assault usually committed by a new acquaintance involving sexual intercourse without mutual consent....
drug, although a subsequent blood test did not detect any date rape drugs. Jones says that while she was unconscious, several men engaged in unprotected anal
Anus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
and vagina
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
l gang-rape on her. She says that "when she awoke the next morning still affected by the drug, she found her body naked and severely bruised, with lacerations to her vagina and anus, blood running down her leg, her breast implants ruptured, and her pectoral muscles torn – which would later require reconstructive surgery
Reconstructive surgery
Reconstructive surgery is, in its broadest sense, the use of surgery to restore the form and function of the body, although Maxillo-Facial Surgeons, Plastic Surgeons and Otolaryngologists do reconstructive surgery on faces after trauma and to reconstruct the head and neck after cancer.Other...
. Upon walking to the rest room, she passed out again." The doctor who examined Jones gave the rape kit used to gather evidence from Jones to KBR/Halliburton
Halliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
security forces, and three hours later they turned the kit over to the U.S. government. According to Jones, in early 2007 a spokesperson at the State Department told her that photographs and doctor's notes were missing from the kit.
Jones says that KBR officials locked her in a trailer after she informed them of the rape and would not permit her to call her family. After approximately one day, says Jones, a sympathetic guard gave her a cell phone and she called her father, Tom, who in turn contacted U.S. Representative Ted Poe
Ted Poe
Lloyd "Ted" Poe is a Republican politician currently representing Texas's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. The district includes most of northern Houston, as well as most of the Beaumont-Port Arthur metropolitan area. He is the first Republican to ever...
(R
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
-TX
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
) who contacted the State Department. Agents were dispatched from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
Embassy of the United States in Baghdad
The Embassy of the United States in Baghdad is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Iraq. It is located in Baghdad and is home to the Ambassador to Iraq. Ambassador James F. Jeffrey is currently the Chief of Mission....
and removed Jones from KBR custody. A 2006 EEOC investigation found that Jones was not locked in a trailer by KBR but placed in a "secure location" before being returned to Texas.
Congressional testimony
On December 19, 2007, Jones testified before the Senate Committee on the JudiciaryUnited States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary is a standing committee of the United States Senate, of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Committee, with 18 members, is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on confirmation of federal judges nominated by the...
. Robert Scott (D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
-VA
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
) stated that the DOJ "seems to be taking action with respect to enforcement of criminal laws in Iraq only when it is forced to do something by embarrassing media coverage." In a 2007 interview, Ted Poe
Ted Poe
Lloyd "Ted" Poe is a Republican politician currently representing Texas's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. The district includes most of northern Houston, as well as most of the Beaumont-Port Arthur metropolitan area. He is the first Republican to ever...
, a former Texas judge, stated that the United States has jurisdiction over U.S. contractors when they are accused of committing a crime against a U.S. national in a federal enclave.
Jones testified again before the Judiciary Committee on October 7, 2009, concerning Senator Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
's amendment to the FY 2010 Defense Appropriation Bill
Appropriation bill
An appropriation bill or running bill is a legislative motion which authorizes the government to spend money. It is a bill that sets money aside for specific spending...
, to restrict contracts with companies that use mandatory arbitration in their employment contracts. This measure was passed by the Senate, prompted by her case.
Civil lawsuit
On May 16, 2007, Jones filed a civil lawsuit against the United States of America, KBR and former parent corporation HalliburtonHalliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
, and one of its former employees (one of the firefighters whom she alleged raped her). KBR asked the court to compel arbitration
Arbitration
Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
based on her employment contract. On September 15, 2009, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Louisiana* Middle District of Louisiana...
, in a 2-1 decision, ruled that Jones's lawsuit may proceed in court.
The trial began in the Southern District of Texas on June 14, 2011. Jones's attorney argued that KBR had known about widespread sexual harassment but had ignored it because the remedy was too expensive. The defense argued that Jones fabricated her story of being drugged and raped because she was embarrassed about the consensual sex and wanted to get out of her year-long contract with KBR three days after she arrived.
Jones's first attending physician testified that Jones had not suffered damage to her breast implants or chest during the alleged attack. KBR's lawyers also brought out that on two prior occasions Jones had reported being raped and that she had taken medication for anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.
On July 8, the jury returned a verdict that rejected all of Jones's claims, finding that the sex between Jones and the employee was consensual and therefore no rape had occurred, and that KBR did not defraud her. Jones said, "I just thought that the physical evidence would help. I guess the fact that my entire life was on display and (his) wasn’t" made a difference. Bolen, a KBR spokeswoman, said, "The outcome of this jury trial as judged by her peers is the same result that the State Department got in 2005; that the Justice Department found in 2008. We are deeply gratified that the justice system has worked."
KBR later filed a motion to recover more than $2 million in attorney fees and court costs. In the motion KBR states that Jones' hostile work environment and rape claims were fabricated and frivolous.
Personal life
After returning to the United States in 2005, Jones has worked with the Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionEqual Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
, Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, several attorneys, and State of Texas Workmen's Compensation and the Assistant United States Attorney. Jones met a member of the U.S. Navy, an aviation mechanic, Joseph Kallan Daigle in 2005, and the two married in September 2006. She obtained an Associate of Arts degree from North Harris College
North Harris College
Lone Star College–North Harris is a public community college, located in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, United States, adjacent to Houston and offering Associate's degrees and program certifications in over 110 fields of study...
in 2007. Later, Jones was pursuing a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Criminal Justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
at the American Military University and expected to graduate from the program in March 2008.