Presson still owes divorce attorney nearly $35,000
Former Ozark County resident Tracy Todd Presson, who is currently serving a 70-year federal prison sentence in connection with the production of child pornography, still owes divorce attorney Michael Horn $34,789, according to a judgement filed in Ozark County court last week.
The document titled “findings of fact, conclusions of law, and judgement,” in the civil case filed against Presson by Michael Horn Attorney LLC, states that Presson entered a retainer agreement with the attorney in order for Horn to represent him in his divorce. After receiving the retainer, Horn filed his appearance as Presson’s attorney on record on June 25, 2019.
On April 21 of this year, while Presson was incarcerated in federal prison in Florida for the child porn case, the attorney personally served the defendant the petition in the divorce case, the documents say.
The attorney provided the judge with a retainer agreement, the final invoice and the defendant’s “entry of appearance and consent to judgement,” the document says.
The judgement in the case orders Presson to pay the $34,789 to Horn for the services rendered.
Previous civil case order Presson to pay $22 million to victim
The case is not the only civil case ordering Presson to pay. On April 21, 2021, Attorney Joshua D. Brown, partner at Pointer Blackburn & Brown with offices in Gainesville, Ava and Mountain Grove, brought the civil suit on behalf of Presson’s minor victim, who wished to remain unnamed. Presson was convicted of coercion and enticement of a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor in the federal case against the victim. In a prepared statement, Brown said he did not want to disclose specific evidence or information about the case to avoid identifying the client or forcing her to suffer further distress or embarrassment. However, he noted that “the abuse perpetrated by Mr. Presson continued over several years and involved some of the most sinister behavior I have seen in my 12 years of law practice.” Brown added that the jury’s award exceeded what he had requested in his closing argument
The jury reached its verdict on April 21, 2021, in Christian County after the case was transferred from Ozark County to minimize publicity. The jury found for the plaintiff on each of five claims: assault, battery, false imprisonment, a cause of action specific to childhood sexual abuse and a cause of action specific to child pornography.
The jury’s award is believed to be one of the largest jury verdicts issued in the Ozarks.
Brown said the judgment was sought “to ensure that Mr. Presson did not profit from his relationship with the victim or the victim’s family, and to send a clear and unmistakable message to other would-be abusers that such conduct will not be tolerated in the Ozarks.”