Susan Shannon, a blogger from Washington, accused Colonel David Riggins of raping her while they were both cadets at West Point in 1986. Although Shannon did not report the incident at the time, she published the allegations on her blog nearly 30 years later. The military launched an investigation but found insufficient evidence to pursue charges against Riggins. However, the claims still cost him his promotion and forced him to retire from the Army. Riggins sued Shannon for defamation and won the case, with the jury ordering Shannon to pay $8.4 million in damages. Although he sees it as an opportunity to set the record straight, Riggins says the large dollar amount is meaningless.

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