By Hope 103.2Monday 6 Apr 2009Daily NudgeInspirational StoriesReading Time: 1 minute
We’re about to talk to a woman who’s suffered more injustice than most people experience in a lifetime. Her name is Dawn Rowan.
In the 1980s, Dawn ran a women’s refuge in Christie’s Beach near Adelaide. In 1987, the refuge was investigated, and a government report was published accusing Dawn of sexual misconduct, and financial impropriety. The women’s shelter was shut down, and the media had a field day publicizing the scandal.
The problem was, none of it was true. Dawn then spent the next 15 years fighting for justice, suing the Federal and State governments, and two TV stations, for defamation. In 2002, the Supreme Court declared Dawn innocent and she was awarded $500,000 in damages.
That’s where it should have ended. But instead, appeals were lodged. And while the State Government remained culpable, the Commonwealth and the two TV stations were exonerated, let off the hook.
Now here’s the injustice: Even though Dawn is still considered innocent, she’s been ordered to pay the legal costs of those three parties –more than $1 Million dollars.
She’s now on the brink of bankruptcy, still being pursued to this day by the Commonwealth, to cover costs that are impossible to pay.
Useful Links
– Learn about Dawn at her Blog site