LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A therapist who was brutally attacked and sexually assaulted during a counseling session at a Clark County youth facility has won a $20.5 million civil judgment against her attacker, though her attorney says she may never see the money.
WATCH | Darcy Spears reports the latest update in the case she's been following since 2022:
The victim was working at Spring Mountain Youth Camp, a county-run facility for juvenile offenders, when then-15-year-old Tavari Pearson attacked her in May 2022. Court records describe a horrific assault during an outdoor counseling session where Pearson pushed the therapist to the ground, pinned her hands, punched her repeatedly, hit her with a rock, strangled her, pushed her into a ravine and sexually assaulted her.
"There are no victories in this case, because my client is going to live with this for the rest of her life," said Rob Murdock, the victim's attorney. "And frankly, Mr. Pearson potentially is going to live with this for the rest of his life. There are no victories."
The attack occurred after Pearson complained about getting kicked off his high school track team, and his therapist suggested they go for a walk outside.
County knew of prior assault
The victim and her attorney sued both Pearson and Clark County after confirming the county knew Pearson had sexually assaulted someone before, but failed to notify the therapist. Clark County settled its portion of the lawsuit out of court for $300,000 in March of last year.
The complaint against Pearson remained open as the court waited for him to respond to the lawsuit. However, records show he never did. He failed to appear, plead or otherwise defend his actions. The court found him liable by default earlier this month, entering the $20.5 million judgment against him on Feb. 3.
Ongoing medical issues
The victim's medical bills were nearly $140,000. Court records show she still suffers ongoing headaches, dizziness, balance problems, facial and scalp scarring, nightmares and panic attacks.
The $20.5 million judgment against Pearson includes punitive damages for what court records call "intentional, depraved and violent misconduct."
"Hopefully, she'll be able to collect something," Murdock said. "And even if she isn't, at least she'll have gotten some measure of justice by the courts."
Light criminal sentence
In the criminal case, Pearson took a plea deal allowing him to be found guilty of just two of the six charges he was facing. Judge Erika Ballou sentenced him to six months behind bars, followed by five years of probation. He was immediately released from prison with credit for the two-and-a-half years he had already served.
"In this case in particular, there was such an obvious miscarriage of justice," Murdock said. "And there was an attempt, I guess, because he's young, to not throw away the key. And I can understand that. On the other hand, what he did to this person — to my client — is just so bad that there needs to be some accountability. And if it's civil, so be it. That's our system."
Back behind bars
Pearson is currently back behind bars. Just months after his release on probation, he was indicted for a string of car thefts and burglaries. Though the new indictment is only eight counts, court records show Pearson allegedly committed 21 separate crimes between September and November 2025.
"Judge Ballou, who gave him every chance under the sun, said, 'If you come back, you're gonna have a problem.' Well, he's back," Murdock said. "So, even Judge Ballou understood that there could be a problem here. And there was."
Murdock expressed concern about the escalation in Pearson's alleged crimes.
"And this time, sadly, it appears as though — I haven't seen the evidence, I've just seen the criminal indictment — guns were involved," he said. "And to me, and to my client, that's the scary part."
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Collection unlikely
If Pearson is eventually convicted of the new criminal charges, the civil judgment will be even further out of reach.
"The reality is, we're not going to be able to collect much. We understand that," Murdock said. "Ultimately, if he gets out of jail and if he goes to work, each pay period he's going to remember what he did to my client because we're going to be collecting 25 percent of his paycheck."
Pearson's trial on the auto theft and gun charges is scheduled to begin in late July. Attorneys expect he will remain in jail pending trial.
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