Why aren’t prosecutors, or the original lying accusers, or both liable? This is defamation writ as large as it can be. I understand that accusations made to authorities are “privileged” lest true victims be deterred from coming forward, but wouldn’t that problem be better handled by requiring a higher standard of proof from the defamation-victim for him to collect, rather than foreclosing the possibility?
As an attorney and former judge I am well aware of the damage false accusations inflict on their victims. In divorce cases it is well known that false charges of child sexual abuse are sometimes used by (almost always it IS the female) estranged wives as a form of extortion to gain an advantage in property settlement and/or child custody negotiations. Unfortunately, the result means huge legal costs for fathers who have to defend themselves against these scurrilous charges which includes having to contend with court-appointed “advocates” with biases against men. False rape charges are distressingly common and everyone knows the accusation is printed on page one and the dismissal or not guilty finding is printed-if at all- on page 23. The accused’s reputation is destroyed and the lying victim’s name is not publicized and she hardly ever charged thanks to the prevailing myth promoted by activist feminists and their mainstream media allies who claim women never lie.
Yes, Stockman’s reputation as a guy who lost a billion dollars of people’s money has been harmed. And note that Pinkerton’s team went about defending him by trashing the reputation of someone else in the deal, so his hands aren’t clean in htis respect. And the fact that these guys aren’t paying for any of their own legal fees kind of softens the blow, I imagine.
So if Stockman was falsely accused, then doesn’t that necessitate throwing it back in the face of the accuser? How else would someone like that defend himself? How then does this make Stockman look bad in defending himself? I don’t think the accuser should be able to walk away with clean hands.
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Why aren’t prosecutors, or the original lying accusers, or both liable? This is defamation writ as large as it can be. I understand that accusations made to authorities are “privileged” lest true victims be deterred from coming forward, but wouldn’t that problem be better handled by requiring a higher standard of proof from the defamation-victim for him to collect, rather than foreclosing the possibility?
As an attorney and former judge I am well aware of the damage false accusations inflict on their victims. In divorce cases it is well known that false charges of child sexual abuse are sometimes used by (almost always it IS the female) estranged wives as a form of extortion to gain an advantage in property settlement and/or child custody negotiations. Unfortunately, the result means huge legal costs for fathers who have to defend themselves against these scurrilous charges which includes having to contend with court-appointed “advocates” with biases against men. False rape charges are distressingly common and everyone knows the accusation is printed on page one and the dismissal or not guilty finding is printed-if at all- on page 23. The accused’s reputation is destroyed and the lying victim’s name is not publicized and she hardly ever charged thanks to the prevailing myth promoted by activist feminists and their mainstream media allies who claim women never lie.
Yes, Stockman’s reputation as a guy who lost a billion dollars of people’s money has been harmed. And note that Pinkerton’s team went about defending him by trashing the reputation of someone else in the deal, so his hands aren’t clean in htis respect. And the fact that these guys aren’t paying for any of their own legal fees kind of softens the blow, I imagine.
In the immortal words of Ray Donovan, Reagan’s Sec’y of Labor: “Where do I go to get my reputation back?”
So if Stockman was falsely accused, then doesn’t that necessitate throwing it back in the face of the accuser? How else would someone like that defend himself? How then does this make Stockman look bad in defending himself? I don’t think the accuser should be able to walk away with clean hands.