Losing a loved one unexpectedly is always a tragic. The only thing that might be harder would be to learn that your loved one never really existed and was fabricated by a stranger for inexplicable reasons. That is exactly what happened to Paula Bonhomme, a woman from Los Angeles, who carried out a relationship online from 2005 to 2006 with Jesse Jubilee James, a volunteer firefighter from Colorado. In 2007, Bonhomme learned that Janna St. James, previously thought of as a friend of Jesse’s, was actually the mastermind behind the entire relationship. St. James posted as James on message boards, used a device to alter her voice on the phone for oral communication, sent Bonhomme letters and gifts in the mail, and created dozens of other characters to embellish her story. Now, Bonhomme has filed a lawsuit against St. James on the basis of fraudulent misrepresentation, usually reserved solely for business litigation. How will this court case proceed? What possible motives did St. James have for hatching this elaborate hoax?
Guest:
Daliah Saper, Principal Attorney at Saper Law Offices, Attorney for Paula Bonhomme