Blogger ordered to pay millions to falsely-accused Army colonel

Article here. Excerpt:

'A jury has ordered a female blogger to pay an Army colonel she accused of rape a total of $8.4million in damages.

Susan Shannon, 52, who now lives in Everett, Washington, first alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Army Colonel David 'Wil' Riggins in 1986, while they were both cadets, on her blog in 2013.

She said she waited three decades to come forward about her experience because of the army's 'code of silence'.

But Riggins, also 52, who vehemently denied the claims, said the 'false' allegations had cost him a sparkling military career.
...
The decorated colonel denied all claims, telling ABC 7 On Your Side at the time: 'I did not rape Susan Shannon. I did not sexually assault Susan Shannon. Every aspect of (her) story is verifiably false.'

The jury has now ordered Shannon to pay $3.4 million in compensatory damages for injury to his reputation and lost wages, and $5 million in punitive damages, 'to make sure nothing like this will ever happen again,' according to the Washington Post.'