{"id":8240,"date":"2026-05-20T19:01:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240"},"modified":"2026-05-20T19:01:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:01:54","slug":"beverly-hills-mother-awarded-4-5-million-for-ex-boyfriends-false-child-abuse-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240","title":{"rendered":"Beverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Grace Kang has worked as an attorney specializing in intellectual property and business law for 20 years, the last 16 in the greater Los Angeles area. A graduate of Stanford Law School, she said her proudest accomplishment is being a mother.<\/p>\n

Read more Neptune\u2019s mysterious moon Nereid may be an original, study shows<\/a><\/p>\n

So when police and child protective services investigators showed up at her Beverly Hills home in June 2022 after her ex-boyfriend, fellow Stanford graduate Jason Varughese, accused her of physically abusing their toddler son, Kang said she was blindsided.<\/p>\n

Authorities quickly concluded the allegations were unfounded and found no injuries on the boy, but Kang said the ordeal traumatized both her and her 8-year-old daughter from another relationship, who was also interviewed by investigators.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis came from out of nowhere. I was completely floored that he would do that,\u201d Kang said of Varughese, with whom she had broken up in 2021. \u201cIt was a nightmare. I still get very upset and emotional, and it\u2019s four years later.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Los Angeles County jury ultimately sided with Kang, awarding her $4.5 million after concluding Varughese falsely accused her of child abuse as part of a custody and financial dispute. The verdict is believed to be the first civil jury award in California tied to a knowingly false child abuse report under the state\u2019s mandated reporter law.<\/p>\n

Kang sued Varughese in August 2022, about a month after the investigations closed, alleging false reporting and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She claimed the allegations damaged her reputation within both professional circles and their shared Stanford alumni network, disrupted her work and caused lasting emotional distress.<\/p>\n

The case eventually went to trial, with Varughese representing himself. On May 12, a jury awarded Kang $2 million for emotional distress, $1 million in punitive damages and $1.5 million tied to the false reporting claim.<\/p>\n

Kang\u2019s attorney, Mike Landman, said jurors were presented evidence during the weeklong trial showing Varughese, founder of the sobriety and recovery app Pink Cloud, was motivated by money when he made the allegations. According to Landman, Varughese showed \u201cshadowy photos\u201d to an instructor at a court-ordered parenting class, claiming they depicted bruises on the couple\u2019s son. The instructor then contacted child protective services, triggering the investigation.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOur position at trial was he wanted full custody because he wanted the maximum child support he could get,\u201d Landman said. Jurors also heard testimony that Varughese was saddled with $30,000 in credit card debt, owed money to the IRS and was facing declining revenue from his subscription-based app, Landman said.<\/p>\n

Read more 9 deportees from US arrive in Sierra Leone under third-country agreement<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHis company was not booming and his revenue was falling,\u201d said Landman, a former federal prosecutor now with Bird Marella LLP.<\/p>\n

Kang said her relationship with Varughese lasted about two years and that he was not the man she initially believed him to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me he was a successful tech CEO. He has an app. I didn\u2019t learn until later in our relationship that he was basically living off credit cards the entire time,\u201d Kang said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Landman said Varughese compounded the damage by spreading the allegations among professional and social contacts, including members of the pair\u2019s Stanford alumni network. Jurors also heard evidence that Varughese continued making allegations even after investigators found no abuse, leaving Kang fearful the accusations would never stop, Landman said.<\/p>\n

Reached by telephone Tuesday, Varughese declined to comment.<\/p>\n

Kang said she decided to sue after realizing no one would hold Varughese accountable for the false allegations despite the distress she said they caused her and her children.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really my kids that motivated me to get justice. I\u2019m like a mama bear. I couldn\u2019t let him get away with it,\u201d Kang said.<\/p>\n

Kang seemed hopeful when asked if she believed she was going to get her $4.5 million, despite evidence presented at trial that painted a bleak picture of Varughese\u2019s finances. But for her, she said the outcome was more about her vindication than any amount of money.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving this verdict rendered by a unanimous jury of 12 members of the community means everything to me,\u201d Kang said. \u201cThe child abuse reporting system should never be exploited for personal gain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Fed minutes show more officials warned of rate-hike scenario<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attorney Grace Kang is believed to be the first person to obtain a jury award for false allegations under California’s mandated reporter law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBeverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Attorney Grace Kang is believed to be the first person to obtain a jury award for false allegations under California's mandated reporter law.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-20T19:01:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"Beverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-20T19:01:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240\"},\"wordCount\":726,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/0972b2573ca69f531c6aba41f893e1ec.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240\",\"name\":\"Beverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/0972b2573ca69f531c6aba41f893e1ec.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-20T19:01:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/0972b2573ca69f531c6aba41f893e1ec.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/0972b2573ca69f531c6aba41f893e1ec.webp\",\"width\":640,\"height\":427},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=8240#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Beverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Beverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Beverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"Attorney Grace Kang is believed to be the first person to obtain a jury award for false allegations under California's mandated reporter law.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-05-20T19:01:54+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"Beverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims","datePublished":"2026-05-20T19:01:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240"},"wordCount":726,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0972b2573ca69f531c6aba41f893e1ec.webp","articleSection":["Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240","name":"Beverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0972b2573ca69f531c6aba41f893e1ec.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-20T19:01:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0972b2573ca69f531c6aba41f893e1ec.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0972b2573ca69f531c6aba41f893e1ec.webp","width":640,"height":427},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8240#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Beverly Hills mother awarded $4.5 million for ex-boyfriend\u2019s false child abuse claims"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8240\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}