Tony Alamo Victims Awarded $525 Million; L.A. Properties May Be Sold
Seven women who alleged they were sexually abused as children by former Christian ministry tycoon Tony Alamo were awarded $525 million by an Arkansas judge this week after an Alamo church failed to respond to a lawsuit.
Collecting the largest judgment in Arkansas history, according to one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, will likely require some help from a Los Angeles court, though. Texas attorney David Carter said he would “soon” file paperwork asking that a court here sell at least two Santa Clarita Valley properties connected to Alamo’s operation.
“We’re optimistic we can get a sale done this calendar year,” Carter told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re obviously satisfied with the court’s damages finding, but at the same time there’s no amount of money that will wash away the damage inflicted upon these women.”
Previous cases have whittled away the vast Alamo fortune. But Carter said a four-acre church site and a 90-acre plot — both along the Sierra Highway — could bring in nine figures, much of it because of underground water tables that church documents say are located there. Remaining church-goers could object to the sale.
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