Paul Bender, stepfather of accused molester Harry Goularte, denies all allegations.
Lawsuit
What allegations exactly? In April, Cain Velasquez and his family filed a civil lawsuit against Bender’s family for allegedly playing a part in Velasquez’s four year-old son being molested. Bender and his wife Patricia Goularte, stepson Harry Goularte, and associated businesses face a number of accusations, which includes Harry allegedly molesting Velasquez’s child.
Bender was caught by a bullet which was fired by Velasquez, back in February. He survived and Velasquez went to jail, but he’s under fire once again… legally. Bender was accused of negligence, as well as allowing and creating an environment for Velasquez’s son to be allegedly molested by Harry Goularte.
The Letter
In response, Bender provided 14 affirmative defenses and requested a jury trial in a response letter filed on June 27. The letter was obtained by MMA Junkie, which you can read below. Bender would deny any knowledge of alleged wrongdoing by his stepson.
“While he is not named in the criminal complaint and denies that he was involved in any offending actions, he is nonetheless asserting his fifth amendment right due to the nature of the allegations raised in this case, which accuse him of participation in the events and of covering up the alleged crimes, and because his defenses are in part predicated on Harry’s criminal guilt or innocence,”
“The alleged molestation is at the heart of this civil action,” the motion states. “… While the rush to judgment is understandable in this type of situation, it is important to not conduct a witch hunt against the defendants and allow them to mount a full and fair investigation of their own to aid in their defense. Although Paul is not the subject of criminal investigations or proceedings, at this time, his defense relies almost entirely on the testimony of third parties who are criminal defendants.
“All of the alleged wrongdoing against Paul is dependent on whether a molestation actually occurred as described in the complaint. The testimony of Harry and Velasquez will determine if there is any liability against Paul or any of the other defendants.”
The civil lawsuit is slated for its first court hearing on September 20th.
