Some people say that there are at least three sides to every story: his, hers, and the truth.
While clever and cynical, this is an oversimplification of what really happens in a sexual assault. Even if all objective facts point to consensual sexual intercourse, if a woman believes she was raped, she was raped. The issue is so personal that lines are drawn and alliances formed very quickly: either you believe me, or you don’t. There is no point in trying to convince a person that she wasn’t assaulted. Logic and reason don’t transform victims into survivors. We believe the situation is far more complicated.
Before law school, David, Corinne and Kristi received training and counseling in dealing with victims of sexual assault. For the year prior to law school, Corinne worked at the Los Angeles Police Department advocating on behalf of victims and Kristi worked as a social worker. If you are looking for a law firm whose sole defense strategy in sexual assault cases is to label the woman a tramp, you’ve come to the wrong place.
We have handled a significant number of cases involving sexual assault. Almost every case had an element of extremely poor communication between the parties. Almost every case had an element where both parties felt that the other side was distorting the facts. Almost every case had an element where both parties felt unheard and victimized by the other’s actions.
Just as every relationship is different, the facts of every sexual assault allegation are different. Our approach differs in every single case depending upon the relationship between the parties. Allegations of date rape are different than allegations involving intoxication are different than allegations where a husband is accused of sexually assaulting his wife. Similarly, same sex relationships have the same communication problems as heterosexual relationships, but often involve a different set of complicating factors.
We do not claim to know all the answers or the truth of what happened between two people when there no witnesses to authoritatively say “what really happened.” In fact, even in situations where there are eyewitnesses, there are often different versions of what occurred. However, we dedicate tremendous effort at trying to recreate and understand how the parties reached the point of sexual contact. From that level of understanding, we are able to better view the case from the perspective of both parties so that we are in a proper vantage point to help our client. |
