DuPont Co. has issued a statement following an international outcry over a child sexual assault
“Earlier this week, a civil lawsuit disclosed that over five years ago, du Pont family member Robert Richards was convicted of sexual assault and received what many have criticized as a light sentence,” the company stated. “This was a heinous crime that has prompted public outcry and outreach to the DuPont company. We wish to make clear that the DuPont company has no connection to this matter. DuPont is a public company and is not family-owned or controlled, and Richards never worked for us.”
The controversy over the sexual assault blew up in the news and social media. A few Facebook posts have urged a boycott of the company.
Also coming in for criticism was Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden for imposing the sentence. Some legal experts have come to the defense of Jurden, saying that an intense period of treatment is better alternative than jail for Richards.
Attorney General Beau Biden, also wrote a letter to the editor at the News-Journal defending the actions of the criminal justice system. Biden noted that he formed a child predator tax force that has prosecuted more than 100 individuals. Click here for the text of the letter.
The duPont family has not been involved in day-to-day operations of the publicly traded company for many years. Although family members have worked for the company at various times, none have risen to senior positions.
The Wilmington law firm of Jacobs & Crumplar announced it filed the suit under the 2007 Child Victims Act in Sussex County Superior Court on behalf of plaintiffs Tracy Richard and her children for the sexual abuse inflicted upon them by their father Robert Richards IV.
The suit states that in 2008, Richards pled guilty in Superior Court to one count of intentional rape in the 4th degree,.
He received no jail time at all for this felony conviction and instead was put on eight years probation and ordered to stay away from children.
The purpose of the lawsuit is to obtain adequate compensation and medical care for the children, the law firm stated.
