Lesbian Rape Called Hate Crime by Police

Some have said that like the Civil Rights movement of the last half century, the battle against homosexual prejudice will be at the center of this generation’s fight for social justice. If recent events are any indication, it will be another long, hard fight.
Two men and two teens have been arrested in the San Francisco […]

Famous Director Fighting Rape Charge

Three decades ago, Oscar winning director Roman Polanski was charged with statutory rape, accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl.   The sex crimes case, one of Hollywood’s most notorious and titillating ever, spawned a generation of tabloid media and accusations of perverse justice.  Polanski fled the country, moving to Europe, and has not entered […]

Appeals Court Overturns Rape Verdict, Frees Man After 12 Years in Prison

As we have previously discussed (see our Nov. 3 and Nov. 5 posts), the appellate process exists to correct judicial errors and ensure that criminal defendants receive justice. An excellent example of how an appeal can right a wrong is the recent case reported in the Dallas Morning News.
In 1996, when he was a 17-year-old […]

Famous Fashion Designer Found Guilty of Rape

A Beverly Hills fashion designer, once touted as a future star of the catwalks, was found guilty of sexually assaulting seven girls and young women, capping a two-month trial that offered a sordid portrait of the fashion world.
During this jury trial, the jury was made up of six men and six women, the deliberation lasted for seven days […]

LAPD Officer Indicted for Trading Sex for Arrest

It’s appalling when the very people charged with protecting society abuse their powers and cause harm to the people they are assigned to protect. Some would argue that it happens every day in Washington, but it’s an unusual occurrence when the perpetrator is a member of the Los Angeles Police Department.  In October, LAPD Officer […]

Former LA Rams Tony Zendejas to Stand Trial for Rape

In an emotionally charged courtroom filled with his family and friends, former Los Angeles Rams kicker Tony Zendejas was recently ordered to stand trail on four counts of felony rape and sodomy at the conclusion of a preliminary hearing. The unnamed victim testified that Zendejas gave her two drugged drinks when she and friends visited his […]

Does Incarceration in Coalinga Violate Inmates Rights?

It looks like hundreds of shopping malls scattered across California. There’s a barbershop, post office, library, dentist’s office and cafe.  If it weren’t for the Orwellian khaki uniforms and armed guards, it could be a mall in any town in California. But this mall is in Coalinga State Hospital, California’s long-term treatment psychiatric facility for […]

DNA Testing Finally Brings Justice

Eighteen years is a long time to live behind bars — especially when you’re innocent. It took 18 years for the criminal justice system to mete out justice in the case of Robert McClendon. Imprisoned in Ohio in his mid-30s for a child rape he steadfastly denied he committed, McClendon was finally exonerated and released […]