Opinion ID: 8704097
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Injuries of Family Member Plaintiffs

Text: 31. The kidnapping also caused severe emotional distress to the kidnapped men’s two spouses and eight of their children. Renetta Wilson, Marvin Wilson’s wife, remembers being “franticf ]” when she first learned that her husband had been captured. Renetta Wilson Deck ¶ 7. She was “stunned and upset” when she received what she describes as an “impersonal ... form letter” from the U.S. Department of State explaining how they handle deaths of U.S. civilians abroad. Id. ¶ 9. This letter caused her “much distress, was a real blow to [her] hopes” and “plunged [her] into a deep state of anxiety and fear....” Id. She describes her “overall state of mind” during the period of the kidnapping as “very confusing and distressed,” and explains that she was “suffering from the agonizing uncertainty of not knowing whether [her] husband was dead or alive.” Id. ¶ 11. She remembers having “difficulty keeping [her]self composed and ha[ving] trouble being strong for [her children].” Id. ¶ 12. She grew “deeply exhausted and overwhelmed.” Id. Four of her five children joined her at her home during this period, and their relationships with one another became tense as a result of the kidnapping, which created more anxiety for Renetta. Id. ¶¶ 12-15. 32. Kimi Johns, Marvin Wilson’s daughter, also suffered emotional and psychological harms as a result of her father’s kidnapping. See Johns Deck ¶¶ 4-11. She remembers feeling “completely distraught” after hearing her father had been kidnapped. Id. ¶ 6. Her fear that “any moment the phone could ring with horrible news” led her to sometimes “just lose it and sit down into cry.” Id. She recalls being “constantly upset and crying” and feeling “an overwhelming sense of gloom come over [her] family.” Id. Ms. Johns further states that during this period she “could not sleep and was very fatigued.” Id. ¶ 7. And, the effects continued after her father returned home — she complains of “recurring nightmares,” and bouts of crippling paranoia regarding her family’s safety, a fear of travel, an inability to watch movies about kidnapping or terrorism or even the news “because [she] fear[s] that a scary picture will pop up on the screen that will trigger these horrible memories.” Id. ¶ 11. 33. Marty Wilson, the son of Marvin, also suffered severe emotional distress as a result of his father’s kidnapping. See Marty Wilson Decl. ¶¶ 6-11. He remembers feeling a “great deal of stress and frustration” created by the “horrifying” uncertainty of knowing whether his father was alive. Id. ¶ 6. He says that “[ejveryone was experiencing deep feelings of despair.” Id. He remembers that it became “extremely difficult to concentrate on [his] work,” that he had trouble sleeping, and the experience took a “severe physical toll” on him. Id. ¶ 7. He recalls the whole experience as “a tremendously stressful and painful time” and states that he feels as though he “aged a lot of years” during that period. Id. ¶ 8. This “traumatic” experience affected him long after his father returned: he states that the “feelings of anger and frustration continue until today.” Id. ¶ 11. 34. Gina Wilson, another daughter of Marvin, also suffered severe emotional distress as a result of her father’s kidnapping. See Gina Wilson Deck ¶¶ 3-13. When she heard that her father might have been abducted, her “heart stopped” and she was “completely shocked and horrified.” Id. ¶ 3. She went to her parents’ house, where she recalls the atmosphere was “crazy,” with everyone “breaking down with fear and terrifying thoughts.” Id. ¶5. She states that her father’s captivity was all she could think about, and she could not “concentrate on taking care of [her] child because [she] was so distraught and distracted.” Id. ¶ 6. She remembers this period as “one long painful blur of depression and anxiety,” and says that it was the “most anguished period of my life.” Id. ¶¶ 6-7. She returned home, but found that she “could not concentrate on anything because the kidnapping was always foremost on [her] mind.” Id. ¶ 8. She was “unable to sleep or even rest” and describes the ensuing fatigue as “debilitating.” Id. After her father’s safe return, she continued to feel the effects of his abduction. She notes that she felt anxious about being attacked in the United States, became fearful whenever her parents traveled again, and herself has not been able to travel abroad since this incident. Id. ¶¶ 12-13. 35. Bradley Key, Marvin Wilson’s stepson, also suffered severe emotional distress as a result of his stepfather’s kidnapping. See Bradley Key Deck ¶¶ 4-13. His initial reaction to learning of what had happened to his stepfather was “shock and disbelief.” Id. ¶ 5. He recalls being “paralyzed with fear” and describes the experience as “very traumatic.” Id. As soon as he learned about the abduction, he “was so distraught that [he] drove straight to [his] parents’ house” to be with his family. Id. ¶ 6 He remembers that he “didn’t sleep for days and grew miserable and completely exhausted.” Id. ¶ 7. Although the family “usually all get along really well,” several quarrels and conflicts broke out between the family members who were gathered there as a result of the “incredibly stressful, tense situation.” Id. After a few days of this, Bradley states that he “felt as if everything was starting to unravel.” Id. ¶ 9. He refers to the period of his stepfather’s kidnapping as “three of the longest and most wretched weeks of [his] life.” Id. ¶ 10. He also feels lingering effects of this kidnapping, stating that he became “a more nervous person than [he] used to be,” and expresses anxiety about future PKK attacks on his family. Id. ¶¶ 12-13. 36. Barry Key, Marvin Wilson’s other stepson, also suffered severe emotional distress as a result of his stepfather’s kidnapping. See Barry Key Deck ¶¶ 4-10. When he learned of the kidnapping, he recalls feeling “completely stunned” and then “very concerned for [his] mother. Id. ¶¶4-5. He states that his whole family was “in shock and deeply afraid,” that they were “very traumatized” and “horrified with thoughts that he was being physically abused or tortured by the terrorists.” Id. ¶ 6. He found it “very hard to sleep” because of the “feeling of constant exhaustion and anxiety.” Id. ¶ 8. He felt “deeply anguished and under tremendous pressure” throughout the period of his stepfather’s kidnapping. Id. ¶ 10. Years later, he continues to feel “a real sense of fear and unease” as a result of these events. Id. 37. Mary Wyatt, Ronald Wyatt’s widow, also suffered severe emotional distress as a result of her late husband’s kidnapping. See Mary Wyatt Decl. ¶¶ 5-14. She states that she “can never forget the morning of August 31, 1991” when she was “woken by a ringing phone,” and soon learned that her husband had been kidnapped. Id. ¶ 5. She quickly became “frantic” and “panicked,” and remembers feeling “helpless.” Id. ¶ 6. She was “terrified” that she would not see her husband again. Id. After speaking with the State Department, and still without any information about her husband, she “completely broke down and could barely function.” Id. ¶¶ 8-9. She remembers that “the thoughts of [her husband’s] never returning to [her] scared [her] beyond belief.” Id. ¶ 10. She “fell into a very deep depression,” “could not sleep” and suffered “overwhelming anguish.” Id. Even after her husband returned, she suffered lingering effects. He continued to be very anxious, which caused “significant tension” between them. Id. ¶ 12. Also, her daughter Amanda left the home as a result of the stress of living with Ron after he returned, and this caused Mary to experience “anger, frustration and depression.” Id. ¶ 14. 38. Amanda Lippelt, Ronald Wyatt’s stepdaughter, also suffered severe emotional distress as a result of her late stepfather’s kidnapping. See Lippelt Decl. ¶¶ 3-15. She describes the abduction as “a very intense and scarring experience” which “significantly impacted [her] life negatively in many ways.” Id. ¶4. She remembers the “uncertainty of whether [she] would ever see [her stepfather] again” was “overwhelming,” “traumatic” and “life-changing.” Id. She says that it was “excruciatingly painful not to know whether [her] stepfather was dead or alive,” and describes feeling as though she were “stuck in an abyss” without knowing “how or if [she] would be able to climb out.” Id. ¶ 5. She recalls that during the entire period of her stepfather’s captivity, she could not sleep, or “concentrate on anything, especially [her] schoolwork.” Id. ¶ 6. She also states that it was “extremely hard” to watch her mother go through “the traumatic experience of thinking she lost her husband.” Id. ¶ 7. After her stepfather returned home, Ms. Lippelt states that the “once care-free and loving atmosphere in [their] home” had changed because Ron was “very upset, angry and tense.” Id. ¶ 9. She also states that she became “very nervous” about her safety, anxious that terrorists would attack her family, and ultimately decided to move out of this home and instead live with her biological father, who lived far from her mother and Ron. Id. ¶ 11. She states that, with the exception of a single trip to Europe, she no longer travels abroad because she cannot feel safe doing this. Id. ¶ 14. 39. Michelle Wyatt Sehelles, Ronald Wyatt’s daughter, also suffered severe emotional distress as a result of her late father’s kidnapping. Sehelles Decl. ¶¶ 5-13. She remembers feeling “terrorized and completely at a loss” when learning of her father’s kidnapping. Id. ¶ 5. She had a “constant fear” that her father would be killed, and states that it was “agonizing to just sit and wait for news.” Id. ¶ 6. She recalls that, because no other information was available, she “kept thinking about worst-case scenarios,” imagining her father being “treated cruelly — beaten, interrogated and tortured.” Id. ¶ 8. She states that she also could not sleep at night, and became “exhausted and depressed.” Id. ¶ 9. After her father’s safe return, she continued feeling “nervous” whenever he would travel. Id. ¶ 12. 40. Daniel Keith Wyatt, Ronald Wyatt’s son, also suffered severe emotional distress as a result of his late father’s kidnapping. See Daniel Wyatt Deck ¶¶ 3-8. Daniel states that upon learning of his father’s abduction, he first felt “guilty” that he had not accompanied his father on this trip. Id. ¶ 4. He was “afraid for his [father’s] life” throughout the period of captivity. Id. Later, because he received no information about his father’s whereabouts, he felt more and more “anxiety, frustration and fear.” Id. After his father’s safe return, he felt “angry” about what his captors had done to him. Id. ¶ 5. The abduction also created a rift between Daniel and his brother Ronnie Jr. which continues to this day. Id. ¶ 8.