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Wanetta Gibson, the woman who falsely accused then-classmate Brian Banks of rape, derailing his promising football career and sending him to jail, has been ordered to pay back the money she received when she sued the school where she claimed the rape took place.
A judge ordered Gibson to pay the Long Beach Unified School District $2.6 million, which includes the $750,000 settlement she received from the district as well as interest, legal fees and $1 million. dollars in punitive damages.
“The court recognizes that our school district has been victimized in this case,” said school superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser. Long Beach News Telegram. “This judgment demonstrates that when people attempt to defraud our school system, they will feel the full force of the law.”
The judgment could turn out to be largely symbolic: Gibson failed to appear in court and apparently long since spent the $750,000. Court records in other cases in which Gibson has been involved indicate that she and her children received public assistance.
After Banks was released from prison, Gibson contacted him and he secretly recorded a conversation in which she admitted that her rape complaint was false. Among the statements Gibson made on tape was, “I’m going to keep helping you, but all that money they gave us, I mean, gave me, I don’t want to have to pay it back. .”
Banks is now hoping to revive his football career as a 27-year-old rookie for the Falcons.
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