TWIN FALLS, Idaho — A Kootenai County woman is suing a Filer man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting her when she was 16 years old, saying the attack derailed her life and dreams of working in the cattle industry.
Tamera Slusher has filed a lawsuit against Ryan Mai and Rymo Cattle Company in Twin Falls District Court, seeking damages for the 2021 sexual assault that she says ruined her life.
"4H and FFA was a huge part of everything that I did, so it was part of my identity," Slusher said.
From an early age, Slusher knew she wanted to work with cattle. She sought to learn from ranchers in Boundary County through 4H and FFA.
"I'd gotten myself to where I have my own cattle ranch in Idaho with the state. I had my own brand. I worked really hard to develop that," Slusher said.
Her life was thrown upside down when, while preparing for the 2021 Boundary County Fair, the then-16-year-old Slusher was sexually assaulted by 45-year-old Mai, a man she looked up to as a mentor.
Mai pleaded guilty to felony sexual battery of a minor. Two other felonies were dropped as part of a plea deal.
Mai served six months of a one-year jail sentence before being released on parole. He is now registered as a sex offender and lives in Twin Falls County.
Slusher says the assault drastically changed the course of her life and feels the Bonner's Ferry community turned on her after she came forward about the assault. Other cattlemen refused to work with her, and eventually she sold her cows for pennies on the dollar.
When asked if she's still involved in cattle and ranching, Slusher explained that it's no longer possible.
"When everything kinda happened and everything had come out in the community, got a hold of the information, I was no longer accepted in the cattle community. I guess is what you would call it," Slusher said.
"He's gotten to move on with his life; she never will," said RJ Ermola, Slusher's attorney.
Ermola said the outcome of Mai's criminal trial and sentencing fell short of justice.
"There's nothing more violating than trust and authority, especially over children, that could be more devastating," Ermola said.
Lourdes Matsumoto with the Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence says this isn't surprising, given the resources allocated to investigating sex crimes in Idaho.
"The overall sanction that they end up getting or serving or actual impact in their life doesn't usually feel like justice for the survivor given the amount of effort and work in what happens to them in order to get to that point where they even receive some kind of sentence or sanction," Matsumoto said.
Slusher hopes her lawsuit will help prevent similar situations in the future.
"I think it's important to shine a light on the truth of what happened to protect other children and ensure that you know nobody else has to endure what I had to go through," Slusher said.
Mai has until May 15 to file a response with the court. Mai did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
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