Sexual Battery: A Horror for Women

Posted on March 10, 2008
Filed Under Criminal Law |

While many crimes affect men and women equally, sexual battery is a criminal activity that mainly affects women in a terribly haunting manner.

Sexual battery cases can be extremely difficult to prosecute because many times it comes down to “he said/she said” in a court of law.  In a city such as Los Angeles, where both the entertainment and adult industries are based, the issues become even more complicated.  Many times this involves prominent individuals who lose track of right and wrong.  For example, “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis was recently charged and convicted of sexual battery.  Francis’ videos earn him in the range of $30 million a year, however Francis was still of the frame of mind to grope a woman who repeatedly asked him to stop.

Prominent individuals such as Dennis Rodman and Arnold Schwarzenegger have been accused or found guilty of sexual battery, or having unwanted sexual contact with someone against their will.  A southern California doctor was recently accused of sexual battery against his own patients, which shows that this offense knows no bounds.

In legal terms, this is different than rape because sexual battery doesn’t mean there’s any sexual activity, just contact such as groping, touching, rubbing up against and so forth.  And it’s not just individuals who are liable; WellPoint, a well known company in the healthcare industry, was included in a sexual battery suit against it’s former CFO. 

The penalty for sexual battery can include:

  • A felony or misdemeanor charge, with 2 to 4 years in prison.
  • Up to $10,000 in fines.
  • If convicted, the conviction will stay on the individual’s record permanently and may be considered a strike.
  • The convicted will have to register with neighborhood committees as a sex offender and deal with the stigma that follows.
  • In some states, teachers who are convicted of sexual battery would never be allowed in a classroom again.

Some of these charges can be expunged from someone’s record, but this is rare.

Written by Joe M

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