Young Texas Man Clears His Name After False Accusations of Child Sexual Abuse
False allegations of sex crimes are a nightmare for anyone; they are among the worst kinds of character assassination. The situation becomes worse, however, if any of the parties involved are especially young. Punishments for sex crimes are more severe when the defendants are adults and the victims are below the age of consent, and […]
What Does Texas Law Say About Reporting Suspected Sexual Abuse of Children?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Sexual abuse of minors causes emotional trauma that lasts for many years. One aspect of the emotional trauma of sexual abuse is that, even when the abuse continues for a long time, the adults in the victim’s life do not always try to intervene to stop the abuse, either because they do not know with […]
A Texas Teen Manipulated by an Online Predator
In Texas, sexual relationships between an adult and a teenager are illegal; the only exceptions are “Romeo and Juliet” relationships, where the older partner is a very young adult and the younger partner is nearing the age of majority, such as a relationship between an 18-year-old college freshman and an 16-year-old college junior. The idea […]
Yes, There is Such a Thing as Misdemeanor Sexual Assault in Texas
In Texas, as elsewhere, the sex-related offenses that have the most severe punishments are the ones that cause physical injury or involve bodily penetration, and the younger the victim is, the harsher the punishment for the crime. With regard to offenses that do not cause bodily injury or involve penetration, however, the victim’s age makes […]
Fort Bragg Soldier Arrested for Aggravated Sexual Assault for 2013 Ax Attack
The difference between simple sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault is that the latter causes serious bodily injury to the victim. The 2013 attack for which Pfc. Levi Austin Goss is accused is one of the more horrific sexual assaults to make headlines in recent memory. Goss is currently awaiting extradition to Texas from North […]
Sexual Violence in Texas
Lawyers who work with sexual assault cases know that there is a lot more variation in sexual assault cases than just the stereotypical view that you often see on TV. Thanks to awareness campaigns, most people now know that not all sexual assaults take place when a woman is walking outside alone at night and […]
What is Jessica’s Law, and What Does it Mean for Texas Sexual Assault Cases?
Texas, like many other states, treats sex-related offenses differently from other types of violent crime, acknowledging that, while any kind of violent crime inflicts both physical and emotional pain on the victim, the effects of sexual assault are particularly severe and long-lasting, especially if the victim is young. Therefore, Texas requires people convicted of sex-related […]
Lawrence v. Texas Reversed a Texas Law Forbidding Same-Sex Relationships
In some instances, it is clear that a sexual act was a sexual assault, for example, if the act was forced despite the fact that the victim attempted to fight off the attacker. In other cases, sex acts clearly count as sexual assaults because the victim was clearly unable to give consent because of his […]
Frequently Asked Questions About Sexual Assault Kits in Texas
Cases of rape and sexual assault pose challenges in terms of prosecuting the offenders for several reasons. Victims of sex crimes may be reluctant to press charges or even to tell anyone about the attack, either because they fear that people will blame them or not believe them or because they want to avoid reliving […]
Recovered Memories are Not Sufficient Proof of Sexual Assault in Texas
The movie Doubt is best remembered for its star performances by Viola Davis, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Meryl Streep, but its character-driven drama hinges on the challenges of establishing certainty regarding accusations of sexual assault. Hoffman plays a priest who teaches at a Catholic school, and he becomes the subject of suspicions about […]