Court Rejects Jaycee Dugard Lawsuit Targeting U.S. Government

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An appeals court says the U.S. government cannot be held responsible for the 1991 abduction of Jaycee Dugard, who was held by a federal parolee for 18 years.

Dugard had sued, alleging that federal officials should have revoked the man's parole prior to her kidnapping. Phillip Garrido had been convicted of a previous rape and abduction.

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The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday that Dugard wasn't Garrido's victim at the time he was placed under federal supervision. The court said U.S. authorities only have a duty to protect victims of parolees under their supervision.

Garrido kidnapped Jaycee from a California street in 1991 when she was 11 and kept her captive in a backyard compound, where he repeatedly raped her.

A message for Dugard's attorney, Dale Kinsella, wasn't immediately returned.

Lawsuit