'Psychic' who reported mass grave north of Houston must pay $7 million

Liberty County Judge Craig McNair alerts the media that authorities found no dead bodies in a house near Hardin, June 12, 2011. Liberty County Judge Craig McNair alerts the media that authorities found no dead bodies in a house near Hardin, June 12, 2011. Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close 'Psychic' who reported mass grave north of Houston must pay $7 million 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

A self-described psychic who triggered a media frenzy when she told authorities a Liberty County couple had a mass grave on their property has been ordered to pay the couple $6.8 million.

A Dallas County judge issued the judgment May 7 against Presley "Rhonda" Gridley, the sole remaining defendant in a lawsuit filed a year ago.

"Whether it will be collectible, we're going to pursue that," said Dallas attorney Andrew Sommerman.

He represents plaintiffs Joe Bankston and Gena Charlton in the suit that has concluded, except for efforts to collect the judgment.

Gridley, 50, failed to appear in court May 7 for the bench trial before Judge Carl Ginsberg in the 193rd State District Court, records stated.

Ginsberg found that Gridley had made defamatory statements about Bankson and Charlton on June 6, 2011, when she volunteered false information to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office, claiming that a mass grave containing dismembered bodies was at the plaintiffs' home.

The defendant's false statement injured the plaintiffs' reputation and exposed them to public hatred, contempt, ridicule and financial injury, the complaint stated.

For damages suffered, the judge awarded $3 million in damages to Bankson and $3,849,000 to Charlton, plus 5 percent interest from the date of the occurrence in 2011.

The suit was filed June 5, 2012, almost exactly a year after the alleged incident took place.

In the initial complaint and other documents filed through August 2011, Gridley was referred to as "Jane Doe, a self-proclaimed psychic going by the name of 'Angel.'" Her name began appearing in court documents as Presley "Rhonda" Gridley in September.

The suit alleges that Gridley called the Liberty County Sheriff's Office and falsely claimed that 25 to 30 dismembered bodies were buried in a mass grave at the plaintiffs' residence.

The sheriff's office repeated the false statements to various news media organizations and provided the plaintiff's address, the suit states.

"Over the course of the day, media defendants began to exaggerate and eventually make up facts about Plaintiffs, including that a mass grave existed on the property, including the bodies of children," the suit states.

Media reports based upon false claims of found bodies were circulated worldwide, the suit said.

When initially filed, the suit's defendants included Liberty County and six media outlets, which over time were dismissed.

The suit was filed in Dallas County because one of the defendants, Belo Corp., has its principal place of business there, according to the initial complaint.

A few days after the 2011 incident, Gridley told the Houston Chronicle that she has had visions her entire life. After confiding with two friends who were having similar visions about three children who might be in trouble, she told the Chronicle she contacted the Liberty County Sheriff's Office.