Lawyer Says Rape Victim Ruined Attacker's Life

[Knight]

I'm having a hard time feeling sorry for these people.


Savannah Dietrich, a Kentucky teenager who was sexually assaulted and then threatened with jail for naming her attackers, has reportedly destroyed the life of at least one of the perpetrators.

"He's had to move," David Mejia, the attorney for one of the attackers, told The Huffington Post. "He has lost all the potential that was there. He was attending high school and was kicked out. He was on course to a scholarship to an Ivy League school to play sports and that may be jeopardized. He's in therapy. He's just overwhelmed and devastated by what started from the conduct of this young girl saying false things as she did."

Mejia filed a contempt motion against Dietrich in July. She had tweeted the names of two teenage boys who assaulted her back in August 2011.

After naming the boys, Dietrich, then 16, tweeted, "I'm not protecting anyone that made my life a living Hell."

www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/savannah-dietrich-sexual-assault_n_1819572.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

[IIOY]

The Ivy League doesn't give sports scholarships.

That's all I've got.

[wrathofkuus]

"I think it's rather astonishing how the Internet changes everything," he said. "Look at [Rep. Todd Akin], the politician from Missouri who was on the news a few days ago and made a comment about 'legitimate rape.' Those comments have now gone viral and he is ruined. Twenty years ago it would not have happened like this. These things just stream with enormous speed across the whole country."


Of course he is on Akin's side.

[Nonny]

Boo-fucking-hoo.

She didn't ruin his life, he ruined his own life by being a criminal.

[basilosaurus]

Maybe he should have thought about that before raping her.

[marissa]

Aug 22, 2012 15:50:49 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

Maybe he should have thought about that before raping her.

This

[charminglife]

Aug 22, 2012 15:34:26 GMT -5 Knight said:

He's just overwhelmed and devastated by what started from the conduct of this young girl saying false things as she did."

They ADMITTED to felony sexual abuse and SHE started it? Seriously, wtf.

[pedanticwench]

started from the conduct of this young girl saying false things as she did.

Huh?

[msmerymac]

Too bad, so sad. Harvard doesn't look favorably upon rape. Sucks for him.

[emmybean]

Where was it said she was raped?

Unless all 'sexual assaults' are rape now?

[wrathofkuus]

The girl herself said that she was raped.

[emmybean]

Aug 22, 2012 16:29:19 GMT -5 wrathofkuus said:

The girl herself said that she was raped.

But none of the other comments on the video or charges were for rape.

[gbck]

well, she herself says:
" never tweeted about how the boys were rapist. He needs to learn that just because he's heard bad things about his clients and rumors doesn't mean I was the one that speculated it all. People have their own voices, I cannot stop what they say. I cannot clarify the details of the story right now, not that I particularly want the public to know. I refer to what they've done to me as sexual assault since that's what they did to me. There's a fine line between assault and rape in the eyes of the law. I cannot lie to me it feels like rape.. But, according to the law it's assault. Which is what I refer it to and I stay to the truth."

www.facebook.com/Freedom4Savannah

[mcgee]

Um yeah... you don't get to cry "my life is ruined" when you CONFESS to the attack in court.

[emmybean]

Aug 22, 2012 16:40:48 GMT -5 gbck said:

well, she herself says:
" never tweeted about how the boys were rapist. He needs to learn that just because he's heard bad things about his clients and rumors doesn't mean I was the one that speculated it all. People have their own voices, I cannot stop what they say. I cannot clarify the details of the story right now, not that I particularly want the public to know. I refer to what they've done to me as sexual assault since that's what they did to me. There's a fine line between assault and rape in the eyes of the law. I cannot lie to me it feels like rape.. But, according to the law it's assault. Which is what I refer it to and I stay to the truth."

www.facebook.com/Freedom4Savannah

This child needs to get her story straight (from the op link):

""If reporting a rape only got me to the point that I'm not allowed to talk about it, then I regret it," Dietrich wrote on Facebook. "I regret reporting it."

Tho I guess since that was on Facebook and not twitter, it's totes different.

There are nooo details----But sure, let's alllllll just jump to rape.

[ttt]

Aug 22, 2012 15:39:47 GMT -5 IIOY said:

The Ivy League doesn't give sports scholarships.

That's all I've got.

Yup.

Buuuuullllshiiiit!

Also my first thought upon seeing the thread title was "well...good"

[emmybean]

Aug 22, 2012 16:57:00 GMT -5 ttt said:

Also my first thought upon seeing the thread title was "well...good"

Yup! Libel is always a good thing!

[ttt]

Aug 22, 2012 17:02:11 GMT -5 emmybean said:

Aug 22, 2012 16:57:00 GMT -5 ttt said:

Also my first thought upon seeing the thread title was "well...good"

Yup! Libel is always a good thing!

It's not libel if it's true.

[emmybean]

Aug 22, 2012 17:03:07 GMT -5 ttt said:

Aug 22, 2012 17:02:11 GMT -5 emmybean said:

Yup! Libel is always a good thing!

It's not libel if it's true.

No shit. Only minor fucking detail: there is no evidence that it is true. Even the victim can't keep her story straight.

[pedanticwench]

Dietrich's anger stemmed from a June hearing in which the teenagers confessed to felony sexual abuse and misdemeanor voyeurism. She and her family were reportedly frustrated by the plea bargain the boys made with the state.

"If reporting a rape only got me to the point that I'm not allowed to talk about it, then I regret it," Dietrich wrote on Facebook. "I regret reporting it."

Mejia said that he and his client were angry about the posts and that Dietrich was not entirely honest.

"The victim, in a fit of anger, tweets my clients name, calls him a rapist -- something he was never accused of -- and said the court system was corrupt and he got away with what he did," Mejia said. "She also said he videotaped her and put it on Internet. There never was a rape, there was no video and there was nothing on the Internet. But he did admit to the conduct as charged which was criminal sexual abuse or touching."

The two boys charged were juveniles, and the court therefore kept the details of the case confidential.

[pedanticwench]

www.facebook.com/Freedom4Savannah

[ttt]

So your issue is that she called something "rape" when it may not fit the strict legal definition of rape in her jurisdiction rather than using the more correct term 'sexual assault'?

Surely the word 'rape' has NEVER been used in anything other than a strict legal sense...

[emmybean]

Aug 22, 2012 17:14:04 GMT -5 ttt said:

So your issue is that she called something "rape" when it may not fit the strict legal definition of rape in her jurisdiction rather than using the more correct term 'sexual assault'?

Surely the word 'rape' has NEVER been used in anything other than a strict legal sense...

Uhm yeah. I do have a problem with women who claim to be raped when they wernt. We don't know what happened and apparently she doesn't really either. But they were never charged with rape so they should not be called out as rapists---not by her (unless she has good reason to) and CERTAINLY not by a bunch of broads on a message board who have read a single huffpo article about the story.

It has nothing to do with how the word is used elsewhere. Let's stick the topic at hand.

[orangeblossom]

Aug 22, 2012 16:24:30 GMT -5 emmybean said:

Where was it said she was raped?

Unless all 'sexual assaults' are rape now?

How about this, she was violated, period. The teens were convicted. If their lives were ruined because of their horrific actions of which they were convicted it is a result of their own doing, and like others have said too bad and so sad.

[emmybean]

Aug 22, 2012 19:29:03 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

Aug 22, 2012 16:24:30 GMT -5 emmybean said:

Where was it said she was raped?

Unless all 'sexual assaults' are rape now?

How about this, she was violated, period. The teens were convicted. If their lives were ruined because of their horrific actions of which they were convicted it is a result of their own doing, and like others have said too bad and so sad.

There is a big difference between assault and rape. The boys were punished (for crimes the plead guilty for)...if they did not rape her, people should not be all "too bad, so sad" if she is going around saying they did.

Per your own definition, she "violated" their privacy and committed libel against them. Therefore, since it seems now that all violation is the same, what she did is just as horrific as what they did. Right?

[orangeblossom]

Aug 22, 2012 19:42:20 GMT -5 emmybean said:

Aug 22, 2012 19:29:03 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

How about this, she was violated, period. The teens were convicted. If their lives were ruined because of their horrific actions of which they were convicted it is a result of their own doing, and like others have said too bad and so sad.

There is a big difference between assault and rape. The boys were punished (for crimes the plead guilty for)...if they did not rape her, people should not be all "too bad, so sad" if she is going around saying they did.

Per your own definition, she "violated" their privacy and committed libel against them. Therefore, since it seems now that all violation is the same, what she did is just as horrific as what they did. Right?

Do you think things would be different for these boys if she used the term sexual abuse instead of rape. Their lives would still be ruined according to them, based on her tweets.

Now, should she have used the correct term to protect herself from libel, if that's the hill we want to die on, yes. Am I mad that she called them out on their atrocious behavior for their sexual assault, no.

[emmybean]

Aug 22, 2012 19:54:06 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

Aug 22, 2012 19:42:20 GMT -5 emmybean said:

There is a big difference between assault and rape. The boys were punished (for crimes the plead guilty for)...if they did not rape her, people should not be all "too bad, so sad" if she is going around saying they did.

Per your own definition, she "violated" their privacy and committed libel against them. Therefore, since it seems now that all violation is the same, what she did is just as horrific as what they did. Right?

Do you think things would be different for these boys if she used the term sexual abuse instead of rape. Their lives would still be ruined according to them, based on her tweets.

Now, should she have used the correct term to protect herself from libel, if that's the hill we want to die on, yes. Am I mad that she called them out on their atrocious behavior for their sexual assault, no.

Yes, actually I do. Because rape is a much more powerful word than sexual assault. And at least that would be what they plead guilty to taking part in.

I don't much have an opinion about her calling them out for what they did, but it seems there are conflicting reports about exactly what she said, and what she even thinks happened---if she is out lying about what they did to her, it's not only dangerous for the boys (which fine, if you don't give a fuck about them, I don't really either) but does a huge disservice to women who are ACTUALLY raped. It's gross to celebrate a woman lying about being raped---or stretching circumstances to make it seem like she might have been raped.

[emmybean]

And for the record? HER claim was that they took naked pictures of her while she was passed out drunk.

This is a fucking horrible thing to do, no doubt about it. But it is not rape. And there is no reason for these boys to be seen as rapists by anyone, especially those who have no idea what the story is.

It's especially bullshit to change the title of the story to rape from sexual assault for purposes of leading the readers to assume something with almost no information.

[orangeblossom]

Aug 22, 2012 20:06:37 GMT -5 emmybean said:

Aug 22, 2012 19:54:06 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

Do you think things would be different for these boys if she used the term sexual abuse instead of rape. Their lives would still be ruined according to them, based on her tweets.

Now, should she have used the correct term to protect herself from libel, if that's the hill we want to die on, yes. Am I mad that she called them out on their atrocious behavior for their sexual assault, no.

Yes, actually I do. Because rape is a much more powerful word than sexual assault. And at least that would be what they plead guilty to taking part in.

I don't much have an opinion about her calling them out for what they did, but it seems there are conflicting reports about exactly what she said, and what she even thinks happened---if she is out lying about what they did to her, it's not only dangerous for the boys (which fine, if you don't give a fuck about them, I don't really either) but does a huge disservice to women who are ACTUALLY raped. It's gross to celebrate a woman lying about being raped---or stretching circumstances to make it seem like she might have been raped.

I do agree with you that it's wrong to say you are raped and that is not what happened, and not the charges that were brought forth in this case. However, sexual assault can mean many many things in different jurisdictions, and in some, can very well mean rape as most people understand and know it, but doesn't actually call it rape.

All this to say in this case, in this case what she have experienced, may not be rape what most understand rape to be or the law for her jurisdiction, in her mind (a child's mind, mind you), she felt the sexual violation she experienced was rape. I don't think she was worrying about the use of the term when tweeting about it. She was tweeting about her violating experience.

[gbck]

in the last several weeks, months, whatever, of news coverage on this, there has never been any debate that she was sexually assaulted. That these boys had sex with her, without her consent. They pled guilty to that.
So...what are you upset about her 'lying' about?
Because I"m confused as hell as to what in that is objectionable.