rape
Spousal rape loophole continues in Ohio, despite years of bipartisan support
Members of Ohio’s General Assembly have tried to close a loophole that protects spouses from being charged with sex offenses for years without success. Bipartisan sponsors have once again introduced a bill that would eliminate exceptions for spouses in cases of rape, sexual battery, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, gross sexual imposition and sexual […]
Appellate court resurrects OSU lawsuit over serial predator it employed
A panel of judges resurrected a lawsuit against Ohio State University brought by sex abuse victims who allege the school knew of and covered up the serial predation of a physician it employed. In a split ruling from the judges on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals released Wednesday, Judge Karen Nelson Moore writing for […]
DeWine: No comment on abortion ban that forced a child to Indiana
It appears that a 10-year-old rape victim had to leave Ohio for an abortion. But Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine isn’t commenting on the fact that a law he signed making that necessary if she didn’t want to become a mother. Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and cleared the way for […]
Ohio lawmaker says baby born of rape, incest ‘still has the right to life’
The sponsor of legislation that would ban nearly all abortions in Ohio said babies conceived via rape or incest still have a right to life. Rep. Jean Schmidt, a Cincinnati area Republican, said on conservative talk radio earlier this week that her bill is likely to pass in the legislative session after the November elections. […]
OH Supreme Court: Designating victim as ‘state’s representative’ in rape trial unconstitutional
The state’s highest court reversed a rape and kidnapping conviction in a Stark County case, saying the presence of the victim at the prosecutor’s table set the defendant up for an unfair trial. The defendant will now be re-tried. The case involved the conviction of Theodis Montgomery, who was charged with rape and kidnapping of […]
Ohio bill would ban abortion without rape exemption
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. A proposed law would completely criminalize abortion without exemptions for rape […]
Should courts limit jury awards for child rape victims? Supreme Court weighs arguments
Lawyers for a woman who was repeatedly raped and sexually abused as a child argued Wednesday the Ohio Supreme Court should overturn or at least pare down a law that limits millions in damages a jury awarded her. In 2005, Ohio lawmakers passed a “tort reform” law that among other provisions, sets a limit of […]
Definition of rape debated in Supreme Court case
A new ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court narrows the definition of rape in the state, and the focus on language in sex crime laws is something survivor advocates say needs to change. The Wednesday ruling came in the case of a Highland County woman charged with rape involving a two-year-old child. The Ohio Supreme […]
How a 2005 Ohio ‘tort reform’ law has cost child rape victims millions
Placing limits on the money juries can award to lawsuit winners was “urgently needed to restore balance, fairness and predictability” into Ohio’s court system, the authors of 2005 “tort reform” legislation wrote. The absence of such maximums, they said, would hold the door for open runaway juries demanding corporations pay outrageous sums in legal disputes. […]
In officer’s ‘false’ rape case, prosecutors want previous allegations against suspect withheld
A former Put-In-Bay police officer could face up to 18 months in prison after she was accused last summer of submitting a false accusation of rape against a “volunteer” police officer. Last week, a special prosecutor with the office of the Ohio Attorney General asked a judge to exclude evidence from the trial showing the […]
Dems push for legislation after Strauss dismissals
Days after lawsuits against a former OSU team doctor were dismissed because of the statute of limitations, Democratic state representatives want action to extend time and help to sexual assault survivors. A federal judge didn’t dispute the facts of the case in which Dr. Richard Strauss was accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of student athletes, […]
Marriage shouldn’t negate rape, bill supporters say
Supporters of a bill removing a loophole for spousal rape and sexual assault say the state needs to stop the double-standard that exists when it comes to sex crimes. Heather McComas-Harrison said she spoke from experience when imploring a House committee on Thursday to pass House Bill 121, to remove language in Ohio law that […]