Jasmine Abuslin, the 19-year-old woman at the heart of a drama-filled sex scandal that rocked several Bay Area police departments who previously went by the pseudonym Celeste Guap, will probably settle her lawsuit against the City of Oakland for $989,000.
KPIX5 reports that Oakland's City Attorney has approved the amount and Abuslin's lawyers plan to urge her to accept.
Abuslin and her family filed civil lawsuits against numerous jurisdictions around the Bay Area alleging that she was exploited by officers. We've covered this gripping case extensively here, here, here, here, here, and here, but to recap:
Abuslin says she began working as a prostitute at 12 years old, and had ongoing sexual relationships with numerous members of law enforcement. The scandal originally broke when Oakland police officer Brendan O'Brien killed himself in 2015 and left behind a suicide note describing relationships between Abuslin and several law enforcement officers. The note also claimed that Abuslin was blackmailing him, which Abuslin denies. She claims that she was angry over being ignored by O'Brien and in retaliation, revealed their relationship to his superiors.
An investigation ensued in which Abuslin accused four Oakland police officers of engaging in sex with her when she was under-age, and revealed sexual relationships with approximately 30 officers in total including multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Alameda County Sheriff's Department and Richmond Police Department. Abuslin's mother, it is often noted, is an Oakland Police Department dispatcher.
Multiple officers have been charged with crimes following the investigation. In the meantime, Abuslin and her attorneys sought $66 million in damages. A preliminary hearing in the criminal proceeding began earlier this month when Abuslin testified in court against former Oakland officer Brian Bunton and, according to CBS 5, vomited on the witness stand. The judge indicated that the case would go to trial, which probably prompted the city's willingness to settle.
"I'm not in a position to talk about a settlement, but I can say the case, overall, is moving along. The cases there's six of them we're working on them all at once," Abuslin's attorney John Burris told the Chronicle.
Burris told KRON 4, however, that he will be advising Abuslin to accept the Oakland settlement.
Related: Celeste Guap Attorney Insists We Use Her Real Name, Says 'Celeste Guap Is Dead'