A Texas developer and reality television star is being sued by a teenage girl who alleges he sexually assaulted her at his home in Laguna Beach and elsewhere.
The civil suit was filed in Texas against William Hutchinson, the Los Angeles Times reported. The girl’s attorney announced the suit on Tuesday.
Hutchinson is also facing criminal charges. In July, Orange County prosecutors charged him with one count of rape of an unconscious person and five misdemeanor counts of nonconsensual touching involving the same teenager and another underage victim, multiple news outlets reported. The two victims were both 16 at the time of the alleged criminal abuse, which prosecutors say took place during their visits to Hutchinson’s home in Laguna Beach.
He has denied the criminal charges, and also rejected the accusations in the new civil suit, according to reports.
“I believe the filing of this lawsuit has revealed to the public what we have always known: that this is really about money,” said Levi McCathern, an attorney representing Hutchinson, the Orange County Register reported. “The allegations supporting the criminal and civil case are and have always been false, and we look forward to showing as much with our day in court.”
Hutchinson, 63, is known for his appearances on the Lifetime reality series “Marrying Millions,” in which the developer starred alongside his 23-year-old fiance.
In the civil suit, the now 17-year-old girl, identified as Jane Doe 2, accuses Hutchinson of assaulting her after she befriended Hutchinson’s ex-wife’s daughter, and stayed with the family in Laguna Beach. The alleged assault began in April, and continued for months in Orange County and Highland Park, Texas, according to the complaint. The suit alleges that Hutchinson also traveled with Jane Doe 2 and other girls to Miami and Arizona where he supplied them with alcohol.
Hutchinson founded Dunhill Partners, a commercial real estate investment and development firm, in Dallas in 1984. Among other projects, the firm has developed large shopping complexes and played a leading role in the revitalization of the city’s trendy Design District neighborhood.
[LAT] — Trevor Bach