K. B. v. Mathes

K.B. v. Mathes was a 1982 civil case from Washington in which Judge Justin L. Quackenbush judged for the plaintiff, based upon K.B.’s recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse by a neighbor and close family friend. Taken from the trial transcript, Quackenbush's judgement found that K.B.'s memories were well corroborated. “K.B.’s testimony is confirmed to some extent by her sister Lisa’s testimony. Then we have what I call the age fourteen alcohol incident…the incident when K. arrived home in an intoxicated state. (Oral decision, filed January 11, 1984, p. 2.) “Then we have Mr. Mathes’ own testimony that the only statement he made to Mrs. B was that ‘I wish it hadn’t happened.’” (Id. at p. 4.) Additional evidence of financial payments by Mr. Mathes as indicating “some scienter or guilty knowledge on the part of Mr. Mathes” can be found on p. 5. Finally, “based on the evidence presented in this case….I find that K.B. completely repressed her recollections of the defendant’s wrongful conduct from the time of her high school years when she was obviously a minor until she began seeking counseling for her depression and anxiety in late 1979.” (Id. at p. 9.) “I further find that it was not until at least April of 1981 that Ms. B. was able to fully recall the acts of misconduct by the defendant.” (Id. at p. 10.)