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Ex-teen Bride Wins $16 Million Case Against Polygamous Group

npr.org
Warren Jeffs

A judge is awarding $16 million in a lawsuit filed by a woman married to her cousin at age 14 in a ceremony overseen by polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs.

A lawyer for Elissa Wall said Wednesday the decision lets attorneys investigate bank accounts and property connected to the secretive group based along the Utah-Arizona border.

Alan Mortensen says Wall plans to use the money to help people leaving the group, which also has a compound in South Dakota.

Wall's testimony helped convict Jeffs in Utah, though the verdict was overturned on a technicality and he's now imprisoned in Texas.

His group does not have a lawyer or spokesman to comment on the case.

The Associated Press doesn't generally identify victims of sexual assault, but Wall speaks publicly about her experiences.