> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Owner of surf shop found innocent of rape - URL: https://www.smdp.com/owner-of-surf-shop-found-innocent-of-rape/ - Published: 2003-05-13T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T02:08:11.000Z - Author: John Wood - Tags: Business, Main St, #archive-import *Jury delivers verdict in under two hours* The owner of Horizons West Surf Shop on Main Street was found innocent Monday in a civil rape lawsuit brought by a former customer and friend. Both Randy Wright, the 41-year-old shop owner, and Stacy Peters, a 29-year-old freelance graphic designer, sat motionless in their chairs as a Santa Monica jury delivered its verdict. Peters, who accused Wright of raping her in her sleep in January of 2001 after she invited him into her bed, wept silently after the ruling. Wright stared intently ahead, nodding his head in approval. “This whole thing has been such a weight on my life,” said Wright, who was congratulated by four friends that came to court for the verdict. “It’s rattled me to the core.” Peters, who stayed in her seat a few minutes after the ruling, eventually stood and embraced a supporter that was watching from the courtroom. 4FB,“She’s devastated,” said Carol Gillam, Peters’ lawyer. “I tried to prepare her for how difficult these things are, but the reality is (it’s always hard).” Peters declined to comment. The jury of eight women and four men delivered the verdict after less than two hours of deliberation. “The bottom line is we saw it as an unfortunate situation that should have been resolved within the boundaries of the relationship and not within the boundaries of the law,” said jury foreman John Ashby, 48, a Woodland Hills attorney. Peters was seeking an undisclosed amount of money in the civil lawsuit. Wright said Peters demanded $50,000 to settle the case before it went to trial, but he refused. Peters filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department 17 days after the alleged rape. The criminal case against Wright was dropped for lack of evidence, said Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons. After spending the evening together, first at Wright’s store and later at Peters’ home, Peters invited Wright to sleep with her in her bed rather than push together sofas in the living room, as Wright had done three times before, both sides testified. Peters and Wright testified they had consumed about two bottles of wine over the course of the evening. Early in the morning, Peters said she woke to find Wright allegedly raping her. She said she immediately pushed him away and said he didn’t continue to force himself upon her. Wright told a different story. He said he and Peters were involved in foreplay for more than 30 minutes before he tried to have sex with her and was rebuffed. Both sides testified they went back to sleep shortly after the incident. Though Peters said the two were just friends, Wright said he was courting Peters. He said he bought $800 diamond earrings and brought flowers to Peters because he hoped to start a serious relationship with her. Shepard Kopp, Wright’s attorney, characterized Peters’ lawsuit as a money-making scheme. He pointed to her delayed police report, how she went straight back to bed after the alleged incident and how she waited to file a civil lawsuit until a year after the criminal case was thrown out. 495,“Maybe she thought she could just file a lawsuit and get an easy settlement,” said Kopp, who works for Geragos & Geragos, the high-profile firm that has defended Winona Ryder and is currently representing accused murderer Scott Peterson. “Randy is an upstanding member of our community. He’s really such a good man. He’s very generous.” Gillam said her client had a good, strong case and chalked up the jury’s verdict to the lack of witnesses. Friends of Wright, a champion surfer who bought Horizons West in 1987 from “Dogtown” skateboarder Nathan Pratt, said the two-year ordeal has taken its toll. “It’s been eating him up,” said Mark Dominique, who grew up surfing with Wright in Santa Monica and Venice. “It’s just destroyed him. Hopefully he’ll be able to come out of it on an up note.” Wright, who recently completed a remodel to Horizons West, said he’s learned from the lawsuit. “The lesson is be careful when you think the signals are there,” he said. “It’s been a shock.” > “The lesson is be careful when you think the signals are there. It’s been a shock.” — — RANDY WRIGHT Horizons West Surf Shop owner \- Randy Wright, Horizons West Surf Shop, owner *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 13, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/051303.pdf?ref=smdp.com)