A second legal remedy for false accusations of abuse is to sue the perpetrator in a civil court for defamation. Slander, in legal parlance, refers to the verbal expression of false statements that cause material harm to the victim. Libel, alternatively, is defamation expressed in writing.
If you or a loved one are in such a situation, seek support from a licensed attorney with experience in fighting false abuse allegations. Contact Kaufman, Nichols & Kaufman today!
As we mentioned previously, prosecuting abuse usually involves the reporting and/or testimony in a court of law by witnesses. Because of their limited cognitive development, children are often judged to be unreliable witnesses.
Libel, alternatively, is defamation expressed in writing. Depending on the circumstances, victims of false allegations can win substantial amounts of money in judgments when their cases are proven.
As a result, prosecutors are often eager to engage with family and acquaintances of the child who can corroborate any allegations of abuse.
Because of their limited cognitive development , children are often judged to be unreliable witnesses. Their memories are often susceptible to outside influence and they often do not exhibit confidence when recalling even relatively recent past events.
Constitution is designed to protect people suspected of crimes from incriminating themselves through forced cooperation with law enforcement , such as answering questions.
A false allegation of child sexual abuse is an accusation against an individual claiming they committed child sexual abuse when no abuse has been committed by the accused. Such accusations can be brought by the alleged victim, or by another person on the alleged victim's behalf.
False accusations can be prompted, aggravated or perpetuated by law enforcement, child protection or prosecution officials who become convinced of the guilt of the accused.
A number of false allegations of childhood sexual abuse have arisen from the use of a scientifically discredited technique called facilitated communication .
Another possible motive is revenge by the person making the allegation against the accused person. There is also evidence that the UK (and formerly the New Zealand) systems of paying substantial compensation to alleged victims and their parents without requiring proof of the allegation, can provide a motive for making false allegations. A number of false allegations of childhood sexual abuse have arisen from the use of a scientifically discredited technique called facilitated communication .
Studies on the rate of recorded child abuse allegations in the 1990s suggested that the overall rate of false accusations at that time was approximately 10%. Of the allegations determined to be false, only a small portion originated with the child, the studies showed; most false allegations originated with an adult bringing ...
A false allegation of child sexual abuse is an accusation against an individual claiming they committed child sexual abuse when no abuse has been committed by the accused. Such accusations can be brought by the alleged victim, or by another person on the alleged victim's behalf. Studies on the rate of recorded child abuse allegations in ...
False retractions of accusations by children who have been abused are suggested to occur for one or more of several reasons: out of shame or embarrassment, fear of being sent to a foster home, due to the reaction of adults leading them to feel their behavior was "wrong" or "bad", a desire to protect the perpetrator who may be a close family member, fear of destroying the family, coaching by an adult family member insisting the child withdraws the accusation, and more. False retractions are less common when the child receives timely and appropriate support following the statement of the allegation.
Being publically accused of a crime one did not commit is torture, and once the information is out there, trying to defend yourself, clear your name, fight suspicion, and tolerate disdain makes for a horrible predicament.
Even if one is rich, successful, famous, or “has it all,” the psychological devastation can be ruinous . If you are not believed, if you cannot fight back with the true story, if now you are distrusted and under scrutiny, the sense of helplessness is overwhelming.
You might wonder, as you listen, if this person is truly seeking wellness, self-protection, or justice, or if the goal is simply to destroy someone else? If a person is lying to hurt someone else, it is a highly aggressive act and the accuser needs help. Such choices do not foster a healthy existence with generous, loving relationships.
People with little information can form strong opinions and take unwarranted retaliatory action from expulsion from the clan to spreading the false word. In Jane Eyre, the cruel headmaster tells the girls to let no one be her friend, take her hand, or comfort her. You get the sense that this is the worst punishment for Jane, worse than the head blow or the lack of bread.
It is widely known that people with certain kinds of pathology are brilliant at looking like victims when they are actually perpetrators. They can ruin the life of an innocent person. You can see this on Law and Order, learn it in Psych 101, or just intuit it instinctively. When you hear a story, consider the narrator.
Making a false accusation in a public way is an aggressive act. In the movie The Bad Seed, a sociopathic child has an angelic demeanor yet manages to destroy many lives. Sweet faces, soft voices, and tears can hide sadistic impulses.
A common response to the presence of false allegations by folks at large is “No one would make something like that up and lie to a judge about it.” A common misconception for sure, but a misconception non the less, and one that is easily exploited by alienating parents for the purposes of nuclear warfare against the person they are targeting.
Allegations of sexual abuse surface after the separation or divorce action is initiated.
The accused is generally passive, nurturing, and lacks an assertive personality characteristic.
First, and in the U.S. at least, the law provides a safe harbor for false accusers providing they make the allegations in the correct way. More specifically, no actual evidence of abuse is required, the accuser need only claim to have “fear” that the abuse has taken place or will take place in the future, and that is all that is required to trigger a response from the court.
Allegations Can Be Manufactured With No Evidence And Without Any Fear Of Repercussions: Law-makers and judges rightly want the legitimate victims of abuse to feel safe coming forward. Thus, if properly guided on the correct way to bring the allegations (hi, lawyers and social workers), laws intended to protect legitimate victims can be easily weaponized by false accusers to inflict holistic long-term damage on both the other parent and the relationship they have with their children.
The list goes on, and all the while, the falsely accused must remain in supervised parenting which sends their children the implicit message that they are dangerous. Needless to say, the limited amount of time spent with the children along with the on-going representation of the accused parent as a threat plays right into the alieantor’s agenda; causing serious harm to both the accused parent, the involved children, and their relationship.
On occasion, a judge may say that they can’t or won’t rule out that the allegations were manufactured, but they are unlikely to assert with certainty that they were.