Clark County, Nevada commissioners are set to award an $80,000
settlement to a Nigerian man who risked losing his parental rights
despite being acquitted of abuse and murder charges in the death of a
2-year-old boy, Las Vegas Review Journal reports on March 2nd.
Victor Fakoya, 49, was tried and acquitted twice for the death of
Daniel Jaiyesimi, the son of family friends living with Fakoya, his
wife and two daughters.
Fakoya was the only adult known to be home with the
boy when he became unresponsive on Aug. 8, 2008. The exact cause of the
boy’s death was not determined.
Fakoya, who was a political science professor in Nigeria, spent two
years in the Clark County jail. His first trial ended in a hung jury,
and the second ended with a jury acquitting him of all charges in
December 2010.
But Fakoya was not allowed to return to his wife and two daughters
because five days after his acquittal the District Attorney’s Office
claimed in family court that Fakoya was a danger to his two daughters.
In May 2011 that a family court hearing master allowed Fakoya to move
back into his Las Vegas home. First, Fakoya had to plead no contest to
not calling 911 in a timely manner.
Fakoya filed a civil rights lawsuit against the county in federal court
in late 2012, demanding $10 million in damages for keeping him separated
from his family for five months after a jury found him not guilty.
“Victor’s dream of coming to America, furthering his education and
providing a better lifestyle for his family has been shattered by the
agencies entrusted with preserving the family unit and protecting the
community,” his complaint stated.
"This ordeal has financially destroyed the Fakoya family and left emotional scars that will never fully heal."
The lawsuit alleges that members of Child Protective Services tried to
coerce Fakoya into admitting he caused the child's death and that the
ordeal has left "emotional scars that will never fully heal."
County commissioners will consider approving the pretrial settlement
during the consent agenda portion of their regular meeting
on Tuesday morning, March 7th.