September 07, 2016

CUA Law professor Mary Graw Leary was quoted in a September 2 Broadly article entitled "Convicted Sex Offender Jared Fogle Sues Parents of One of His Victims" See Below

Convicted Sex Offender Jared Fogle Sues Parents of One of His Victims

Broadly
September 2, 2016
Kimberly Lawson
. . .
Mary G. Leary is a professor of law at The Catholic University of America and former director of the National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse. She tells Broadly that it's not unusual for a defendant in a sex crimes case to attack the victim or victim's family in their defense at trial or in a countersuit.

It's also not uncommon, she says, for a defendant to try to challenge the assignment of blame, especially if they think they have proof showing otherwise. She offers the analogy of a car accident-when two people disagree over the origin of neck pain, especially if the offending driver knows the victim had been complaining of pain for months, and the victim says the pain started after the accident. According to Fogle's motion, Jane Doe was "diagnosed as suffering from a major depressive disorder before she learned of any allegations" involving him and Taylor.

But this could also be a posturing technique, Leary says, which is not uncommon in litigation. "If anyone else is thinking about suing [Fogle], they're going to think twice," she explains. Other parents of victims who were contemplating a lawsuit may reconsider because of the public scrutiny.

"This is one of the many reasons why people don't go forward with reporting sexual abuse or exploitation," Leary continues. "They see the victims get put through the ringer."