Van Nuys-Based Attorney Accused in 1970s Molestation

An attorney has been arrested and charged with molesting a girl in his Hidden Hills home nearly 30 years ago, authorities said Thursday.

Reg Fudge Jr., 72, was arrested Oct. 3 after surrendering to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigators.

Fudge has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges and is free on $100,000 bail. He was ordered to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 9. If convicted on both counts, he could face up to 16 years in prison, said Det. Chris Hicks of the sheriff’s Family Crimes Unit. Fudge declined to comment on the charges.

The charges against Fudge, a criminal defense attorney based in Van Nuys, stem from allegations by a woman who said Fudge molested her at his home in the early 1970s.

The woman was about 7 when the alleged sexual abuse began, said her attorney, Stuart W. Fest, adding that she didn’t tell anyone until as a teen she saw a made-for-TV movie depicting child molestation.

The case is one of a handful of its type filed in Los Angeles County following a state Supreme Court decision last year that abolished the statute of limitations for molestation, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

In a 4-3 ruling, the state high court’s decision allows prosecutors to reopen cases that were abandoned years ago. The previous statute of limitations for child molestation was six years.

For prosecutors to file charges, the victim’s allegations must be supported by independent evidence. Several other women have come forward and given statements to investigators alleging they were molested by Fudge when they were younger, according to court documents.

“Based on the evidence gathered in the investigation, it meets the criteria for filing charges,” Hicks said. “The charges involve substantial sexual misconduct and we have clear and convincing corroborating evidence.”

Fest said his client won a $160,000 judgment in a civil suit against Fudge in 1993.

“We are delighted to see the wheels of justice functioning like they are supposed to,” Fest said. “My client had profound psychological damage from this but she has rebounded well.”