Jurors in the Northern District of Georgia awarded $44 million in compensatory damages and $120 million in punitive damages to a plaintiff identified only as J.R., according to a verdict form filed Sept. 23, 2026.
ATLANTA — A federal jury in Atlanta has found Lincoln Bancorp, LLC liable under the TVPRA, the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. The case is J.R. v. Lincoln Bancorp, LLC, Civil Action No. 1:25-cv-4629-JPB, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division.
The jury awarded a plaintiff identified as J.R. $44 million in compensatory damages and $120 million in punitive damages, a total of $164 million, according to a verdict form filed in open court Sept. 23, 2026.
What the jury decided
The form put four questions to the jury. First, it asked whether Lincoln Bancorp caused injury or damages to J.R. such that it is liable to her under the TVPRA. The jury circled “Yes.”
Second, the jury was asked to set the amount of compensatory damages caused by Lincoln Bancorp. It wrote in $44,000,000.
Third, the form asked whether Lincoln Bancorp is liable to J.R. for punitive damages. The jury again circled “Yes.”
Finally, jurors set the punitive award at $120,000,000. That figure is roughly 2.7 times the compensatory award.
The verdict was unanimous and was reached on Sept. 23, 2026.
The jury answered separate questions on compensation and punitive damages. It found Lincoln Bancorp liable for punitive damages in addition to fixing the amount of J.R.’s compensatory damages.
Read the full verdict form: J.R. v. Lincoln Bancorp, LLC, No. 1:25-cv-04629-JPB — N.D. Ga. Verdict Form (Sept. 23, 2026)
By The Trial Attorneys Editorial Staff
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