When Accused of a Sex Crime, Silence Isn’t Always Golden
Of all the things that can disrupt relationships, none is more powerful than an accusation of a sexual assault—especially sexual abuse of a child. If one learns one has been accused, the natural inclination... Read More
How Would Washington State Laws Apply to the Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears Lawsuit?
The Daily Beast was the first of many news outlets to report that a Jane Doe and her younger brother, identified as John Doe, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against... Read More
Four Things You Need to Know about Civil Claims for Sex Abuse and Sexual Assault
While most imagine sexual abuse and sexual assault cases to be tried in criminal court, a person can also file a civil claim for sex abuse or sexual assault. With the harm to reputation... Read More
What it means to Communicate with a Minor for Immoral Purposes
The age of consent in Washington state is 16. That means that sexual acts with a 16- or 17-year-old are legal except in certain situations where there is a power imbalance between the adult... Read More
How Accurate is a Child’s Memory?
Frequently in child abuse investigations and trials, the primary evidence is that given by the child involved. Sometimes this evidence is the only evidence that the alleged abuse ever occurred. But is a child’s... Read More
When are Police Stings Entrapment?
When does law enforcement cross the line between conducting a legitimate undercover operation and illegally pressuring a normally law-abiding individual to commit a crime? Many arrests for Communication with a Minor for Immoral Purposes arise... Read More
To Testify or Not to Testify? What Factors Defendants in Special Assault Cases Should Consider
If you are facing special assault charges, one of your concerns may be navigating the complexities of trial. You may be feeling anxious about what will happen at trial and especially about the possibility... Read More
Reducing the Adult Consequences of Teenage Mistakes
This spring’s news about the Oregon State University baseball team shows how teenaged errors of some kinds can dog a person into adulthood. Luke Heimlich, the star pitcher of the OSU team, found himself... Read More
Grooming: Fact or Fiction?
Recently the Court of Appeals reversed a Washington man’s convictions, finding that a prosecutor committed misconduct by arguing facts not in evidence about the phenomenon known as “sexual grooming.” In our cases at The... Read More
To Be Blind or Not to Be Blind? Forensic Interviews in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
An important question for forensic interviewers of children in alleged abuse cases is whether to gather information about the case before interviewing the child. The Supreme Court suggested in the 1989 case Idaho v.... Read More