Eliason Civil Trial In The Hands Of Jury

The civil trial against former adult store owner David Eliason is now in the hands of the jury.

Attorneys on both sides said during closing arguments Friday morning the case comes down to who the jury believes more, Eliason or the women who have accused him of sexual assault and harassment.

Three former cashiers have sued Eliason claiming that he raped two of them and sexually harassed the third.

During three days of testimony, the jury of nine men and three women heard Eliason’s accusers detail how he raped them in his office at Annabelle’s Adult Store back in 2007. They also heard details of two rapes that allegedly occurred at the Olivia’s Adult Store in Tea just a month after it opened.

Eliason has denied nearly all the claims; however, he admits to having consensual sex with one of the women during a business trip in North Carolina.

During closing arguments Friday morning, Eliason pointed out that the women remembered the details of the alleged incident, but didn’t remember many other details.

“I remember over 50 times she couldn’t remember,” Eliason said about one of his accusers.

Eliason has never been charged with a crime for the allegations, but the women did secure protection orders against the former adult store owner in 2008.

“They reported the rapes to the police. They got restraining orders and nothing came of it,” Eliason told the jury.

Attorneys for the women said Eliason had an opportunity to discredit the stories by bringing video from the 14 different cameras he had inside the Annabelle’s store to court.

“When they came with their protection orders, did he pull the tapes and bring them to court?” Aaron Eiesland the attorney for the women said.  “Why wouldn’t they be here?”

And now after nearly four years of litigation, it’s up to a jury to decide who they believe more: Eliason or the women.

“Now it’s your time to do something,” Eiesland said.