Legal News
An often thorny subject: sex-based penitent/clergy communications
It is a case, notes one news outlet, that “highlights the struggle of courts to interpret a convoluted web of clergy reporting laws” that exist across the United States. And it underscores this topical concern: the ability of church authorities in some instances to shield sexual abusers of children from liability through invocation of a…
Read MoreAfter decades, authorities find child sexual abuser in California
“[T]here are cases you never forget, some that are always in the back of your mind that you hope one day to solve,” says a Louisiana sheriff. That official can now rest a bit easier regarding at least one such case, a harrowing tale of child sexual abuse that recently entered a new phase with…
Read MoreIrony: halls of learning can also be venues of child abuse
Our children are at once the most impressionable and vulnerable demographic within our society, possessed of breathtaking promise yet simultaneously needing to be duly supervised and watched with care while they grow and mature. We all want what’s best for our kids, and know intuitively that promoting their interests encompasses involving them in activities that…
Read MoreUndercover child sexual abuse case reveals problem’s dimensions
He wanted to go to Mexico so that he could bargain with parents who would be willing to part with a child. He specifically communicated with a third-party contact that he wanted to “adopt/own” a toddler, adding that, “The cheapest baby girl under 3 would be good.” He commenced his journey from Ohio late last…
Read MoreFBI goes dark to lure, nab child pornography site users
What better way to identify and arrest child pornography enthusiasts using a so-called “Dark Web” site, surmised the FBI, than to pose as the site’s administrator? Some of our readers might not be familiar with the Dark Web, which can be loosely described as a secretive Internet within the Internet availed of by users such…
Read MoreCommentary: Don’t stall momentum on SOL sex-crimes bill
Who’s the victim here? In raising that question, two guest commentators in a recent media article discussing acts of sexual abuse committed by Catholic clergy members readily answer it at the same time. And, in fact, with another question. “Why must the true victims — the victims of sexual assault — be haunted by their…
Read MoreCampus sexual assault and civil rights: a ready nexus?
“[S]haring a library with your rapist can make it hard to learn.” Now that is a sentence that is bound to induce a bit of reflection for any reader confronting it, which is certainly the intention of two young women who recently penned a national article chronicling the widespread problem of sexual assault committed against…
Read MoreHolding every responsible party accountable for sexual abuse
“[J]ustice and closure.” We use those words on a page of our website at the Los Angeles personal injury law firm of Taylor & Ring, employing them in the context of what must centrally happen in the aftermath of any sex-based crime. Although closure for any crime victim is obviously of utmost importance, it can…
Read MoreChild sexual abuse: a paramount concern in every state
Violence against children is always a topic that rightly commands front-page news attention in media outlets across California and the rest of the country, given the sheer vulnerability of adolescents and the corresponding need to spotlight the wrongs committed against them. In no realm is that truer than with acts of sexual abuse committed against…
Read MoreA look at metro-based juvenile homelessness, sexual exploitation
“Kids need a safe place to be and someone who cares about them. Now why should that be so hard?” Thus queries a seasoned Los Angeles Police Department veteran, an officer who heads the LAPD unit that focuses upon identification and eradication of child sexual exploitation. Lt. Andre Dawson’s posed question is eminently straightforward and…
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