Civil lawsuit filed against Woodworth man accused of sexual assault, rape

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - The family of one of Jacob Michot’s alleged victims has filed a civil lawsuit against him, his parents and their homeowners insurance company. Michot, 20, is a Woodworth man accused of sexual assault and rape for incidents last year involving five different minor victims.

Michot currently faces five counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, one count of third-degree rape, one count of second-degree rape and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

One of those alleged incidents happened at Michot’s house on Nov. 27, 2021, and it is the center of the civil suit.

According to the lawsuit, the alleged incident took place at Michot’s home during a sleepover sponsored by Michot’s parents, David and Tricia. In a June court hearing, News Channel 5 learned the sleepover involved the sexual assault of one victim and the rape of another. The lawsuit was filed by the parents of the minor girl who alleges she was raped.

According to the lawsuit, Michot’s parents were to provide adult supervision at the sleepover, in which all invited guests were minor female children. However, earlier in the evening, Michot purchased and provided alcohol to the minors, which the lawsuit said Michot’s parents “knew or should have known, had they provided proper supervision.”

Later in the evening, Michot is accused of sexually assaulting one or more girls and raping another.

The petitioners in the lawsuit allege the charges Michot faces are due to the negligence and/or fault of Michot, citing the sexual assault and rape, violation of the Louisiana Criminal Code by providing alcohol to minors and infliction of emotional distress on the victim.

The suit also alleges fault with Michot’s parents, including that they failed to properly supervise and provide a safe environment for the minors, provided or allowed alcohol to be served to minors, and knew or failed to know the “sexual propensity of their son.”

The lawsuit details that both the minor petitioner and her parents sustained Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of Michot and his parents’ actions.

”You know when victims are made to suggest that they shouldn’t move forward, that the criminal matter will take care of itself, that’s not always the case,” said Rob Marionneaux, the attorney prosecuting the civil case. “And unfortunately, people are made to bring civil actions. Some don’t ever result in money damages, but it is part of the healing process of the victims in order to get this behind them. And my client is undergoing counseling, and this is part of her healing.”

Marionneaux noted civil suits are also about ensuring accountability and allowing victims complete control over their case, whereas the victim often does not hold any control in criminal court proceedings.

“I’m watching and monitoring the criminal proceedings very closely. The family has kept me apprised of the happenings with it. A lot of things have surprised me and not made me very happy, first as a parent and then as a lawyer for the victim. First, the lowering of the bond, and then the allowance to go to the youth challenge program, and now his leaving the program. So, there are a lot of things that are concerning to me about the case,” said Marionneaux. “Further, I think my client has been...there’s been some attempts to dissuade her not to file this civil litigation, and this is exactly why this is being filed. Because we’re going to monitor very closely this criminal behavior, the prosecution of it and then we will seek civil justice for it.”

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