Ben, Jan and Amy Ebeling Named in Sexual Assault Civil Suit

[yaya]

@SillyHorse

@yaya

In some places it says 30 defendants, in others it says 50.

Defendants or plaintiffs?

Defendants. Says Does 5-50 in the title and causes of actions, but under “Parties” only says 5-30.

[SillyHorse]

@yaya

@SillyHorse

@yaya

In some places it says 30 defendants, in others it says 50.

Defendants or plaintiffs?

Defendants. Says Does 5-50 in the title and causes of actions, but under “Parties” only says 5-30.

Maybe I haven’t been keeping up. Are we talking about the Ebeling matter or something else?

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

You’re right. I went back and reviewed it.

I agree… this seems sloppy.

[enjoytheride]

I’m appalled that it’s just “kids being kids” if a kid gets another kid so drunk she passed out then rapes her.

Also equally horrified that “teen passed out due to alcohol and then raped” is not as bad as “teen passed out due to date rape drug then raped”. Some people should be ashamed of themselves the length they will go to make people not seem like criminals.

[yaya]

The Ebeling suit.

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

The Ebeling matter. The lawsuit alleges that many others associated with The Acres were aware of behavioral issues, and red flags, and essentially enabled his behavior. Thus, they are considered defendants in the case. But it seems clear the attorney is linking it to the farm business entity, in an attempt to support that aspect of the lawsuit… that the business itself is culpable to some extent.

Given some of the public comments on social media already… it seems some past employees might be cooperative witnesses in the matter. There are multiple comments alleging he had a problematic reputation. That doesn’t mean he’s guilty (I have no idea), but it does explain the strategy the plaintiff’s attorney seems to be taking…

[enjoytheride]

@CurrentlyHorseless

You asked earlier what difference it made whether he gave her wine or wine plus “drug”. Huge difference. Offering her wine from a purloined bottle of wine vs offering her wine surreptitiously spiked with rohypnol is night and day different.

If you were raped, would it make a difference to you?

[CurrentlyHorseless]

@BigMama1

@CurrentlyHorseless

You asked earlier what difference it made whether he gave her wine or wine plus “drug”. Huge difference. Offering her wine from a purloined bottle of wine vs offering her wine surreptitiously spiked with rohypnol is night and day different.

Is it? Dusk and twilight different, not night and day. Giving a 14 year old alcohol and then raping her while she’s incapacitated doesn’t sound much different than giving her roofies and raping her while she’s incapacitated. Plus, we don’t know whether she was given drugs in top of the alcohol.

You seem really determined to defend the alleged attacker here without extending that same courtesy to the alleged victim

No. I’m not defending the alleged attacker.

I think there is a big difference between her choosing to partake of underage drinking when he offered it or “encouraged it” vs a situation in which someone offers an alcoholic drink that has been spiked with a drug like Rohypnol. Not that the suit contends there was a substance beyond alcohol. That’s all I’m saying.

[CurrentlyHorseless]

@yaya

In some places it says 30 defendants, in others it says 50.

Also, in one place it says the sexual battery occurred in April 2017, but in another says November 2017.

Does no one proofread these things, and how would inconsistencies like this affect a suit?

Yeah, I also noticed the discrepancy between April and November 2017. That seems really sloppy, given that’s the central event.

Does that mean the girl was still training there in November 2017, 7 months later?

I don’t think 30 vs 50 defendants matters much, since those are just placeholders.

[yaya]

@CurrentlyHorseless

Not that the suit contends there was a substance beyond alcohol.

Actually, under the Sexual Battery section, it does say he supplied plaintiff with “alcohol and/or other substances to the point where she was incapacitated” so it covers that possibility.

[CurrentlyHorseless]

@yaya

@CurrentlyHorseless

Not that the suit contends there was a substance beyond alcohol.

Actually, under the Sexual Battery section, it does say he supplied plaintiff with “alcohol and/or other substances to the point where she was incapacitated” so it covers that possibility.

Yes, it leaves open the possibility of substances other than alcohol, but does not specifically contend that there was anything beyond alcohol.

[SillyHorse]

Thanks, I understand now.

[iridedressage]

@GroovyGroom

Robert Dover is actively commenting on his own post now dismissing a young girls opinion due to her age and trying to flip it around asking what if she had been raped

She chewed him up and spit him out. I enjoyed reading it!

[Mondo]

For those who jumped all over my $hi+: 1. I didn’t get from the article I read that she’s now an adult. So sorry for that. 2. I also missed the part about him carrying her back to the barn.
Obviously, that’s a whole different set of circumstances.

[Paint_Party]

@FitzE

But the filing mentions Ben taunted her after letting her know he still had her bra in his backpack and asking if she’d gotten her period.

What a prince.

As for the amount of time passing between the (alleged) assault and the filing of her civil and SS cases: I can relate to something similar that occurred to someone close to me. She kept it quiet for years. Ashamed. Embarrassed. Afraid she wouldn’t be believed, and concerned what her family would think of her, because ironically they idolized the very perpetrator.

Sometimes it takes incredible courage, which often comes with the passage of time and maturity, to reflect back on an event and realize how it affected your life in numerous, negative ways. And damn right, you deserve some justice. If not for yourself, then to prevent others from suffering the same fate.

[GroovyGroom]

She did and what she said was so valid. He is a public figure in the national and international dressage community who is heavily involved in youth programs. His grey area, black/white thin line ideology is concerning as well.

[iridedressage]

I found his responses to her very patronizing, and dismissive. What a jerk.

[Fiesta01]

@Virginia_Horse_Mom

Over and over in these stories, we hear things like, “That was the only place in the immediate area to offer a high enough level of training for ‘Jane’ to pursue her dreams of competing at X,Y, or Z level, etc etc…

This wouldn’t be an issue in this case. We’re talking Moorpark here. Hilda Gurney is just 10 minutes down the road.

[erinmeri]

@enjoytheride

I’m appalled that it’s just “kids being kids” if a kid gets another kid so drunk she passed out then rapes her.

Also equally horrified that “teen passed out due to alcohol and then raped” is not as bad as “teen passed out due to date rape drug then raped”. Some people should be ashamed of themselves the length they will go to make people not seem like criminals.

Amen.

[SBrentnall]

True, but Hilda is not competing internationally anymore. Jan is, and has a lot of students who are, also.