Lawyer likens gang-rape victim to a spider luring men to web (the victim was 11 yrs old)

[demmiblue]

Source: Houston Chronicle

<snip>

During opening remarks and the questioning of the young girl, Taylor stressed how she never shed a tear nor voiced a single complaint about her sexual encounters with any of the 20 males accused of assaulting her two years ago.

The girl, whose name was withheld because she is a juvenile, answered "yes, sir" when Taylor asked if she had been a "willing participant." She also acknowledged never making an outcry until questioned by authorities after graphic sex tapes of her encounters surfaced at Cleveland High School.

<snip>

Taylor questioned why the underage girl had not been charged with anything for choosing to violate that rule, indicating that she was "the reason" that the encounters happened.

"Like the spider and the fly. Wasn't she saying, 'Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly?' " Taylor asked.

"I wouldn't call her a spider," Langdon replied. "I'd say she was just an 11-year-old girl."

"I hope nothing like this ever happens to your two teenage sons," Taylor snapped back.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Lawyer-likens-gang-rape-victim-to-a-spider-luring-4071735.php

[sufrommich]

1. This just depresses the hell out of me. What

the hell is wrong with these people? Who thinks like that? I hope he's disbarred for it (I know,no chance).

[HiPointDem]

6. +100000

[1StrongBlackMan]

2. Had Taylor pursued that exchange with me ...

"Like the spider and the fly. Wasn't she saying, 'Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly?' " Taylor asked.

"I wouldn't call her a spider," Langdon replied. "I'd say she was just an 11-year-old girl."

"I hope nothing like this ever happens to your two teenage sons," Taylor snapped back.

I probably would have responded, I hope nothing like this ever happens to your daughter, at whatever age, a$$hole."

[wellst0nev0ter]

32. I'm Surprised

That the police sergeant didn't start choking that scumbag lawyer to death right there in court right after he suggested that any of his sons would rape an 11-year-old girl

[TheMadMonk]

37. My response would be: I hope I raised my teenage sons better than that. /nt

[LeftishBrit]

3. How incredibly disgusting.

[Posteritatis]

4. Even by rapist-defending standards, wow, what human trash. (nt)

[AnotherMcIntosh]

5. You know that some attorneys should be disbarred.

What's wrong with his brain? It wouldn't surprise me if he was a recreational drug user.

[hifiguy]

11. Don't slander weed-smokers by

comparing them to this klown. Seriously.

I understand as a lawyer that attorneys have a duty to zealously represent their clients but this to me seems way over the line and a violation of legal ethics.

[1StrongBlackMan]

43. And ...

It wouldn't surprise me to learn that this guy had viewed the video that the child-rapist made, one a number of occasions, for recreational purposes.

[aikoaiko]

7. Wow. That got ugly fast.

[MrSlayer]

8. This is why lawyers are universally hated.

This is the guy's job. Only a morally bankrupt person would want that job.

[MrSlayer]

18. That's not what he's doing.

Though that might be the unintended result. He's trying to establish that the defendant had no choice, that he was lured into it by the charms of this sophisticated vixen. That it's her fault and not the fault of his client. That's what he's doing, that's what lawyers do and that's why people hate them.

[MrSlayer]

24. It's standard procedure in every rape case.

Discredit the victim, make it his/her fault, get your defendant freed.

Why is this so difficult?

[yardwork]

25. I think that you are both saying the same thing.

Don't get mad at each other. You're in agreement.

-- signed, an objective observer

[1StrongBlackMan]

44. Very true ...

and the primary reason I stopped the practice of criminal law. I realized early that, after a day in court, I still had to kiss my wife and daughter with the same mouth I made my arguments, and I still had to look myself in the mirror the next morning when I shaved.

[white_wolf]

21. Which part do you take issue with?

The fact that the lawyer is representing a rapist or the how he is doing it? The how is what bothers me. But I would hardly consider a defense attorney "morally bankrupt" simply for providing the accused with the constitutional right to a defense. Do you consider public defenders morally bankrupt when they represent murderers or rapists? Everyone has a right to a defense, no matter how horrible their crime may be.

[MrSlayer]

23. It's just a sleazy business all around.

Trying to get guilty people off the hook through lying and theatrics. Trying to convict innocent people by the same means. And there are the business lawyers who are as scummy as you can get.

It's just a dishonorable profession. That's why people hate them.

[white_wolf]

26. Do you have an alternative?

No reasonable person can deny that our legal system is broken in many ways and set up to benefit the wealthy, but the fact is a society can't function without some kind of legal system. For that legal system to work you need professionals trained to understand it and work within it. So, I ask again, what do you propose we do as an alternative?

[MrSlayer]

33. That's really the problem.

This system blows and there isn't much that can be done about it. There is no magic way to determine the truth. We're just stuck with the system and the sleaze bags that manipulate it. It's sad that this is the best that can be done.

[Chan790]

39. I love them.

The last four women I dated...all lawyers. All defense lawyers. All of them have defended guilty people that they knew were guilty to the best of their ability even though they knew that their clients belonged in jail. Why? Because that's their job...to ensure that every defendant, even the ones Mr. Slayer doesn't like, gets their day in court and the best defense possible.

No. Not all lawyers are dishonorable. No. Not everybody hates them.

Yes. This lawyer is a scumbag. No, he's not doing his job...because his job is not to engender sympathy for an 11-year old victim by attacking her, ensuring his client goes to jail.

[white_wolf]

40. +100.

[fugop]

45. Everybody hates lawyers until they need one.

Does this particular defense attorney sound scummy?

Yep. But there are plenty out there doing a tough job that HAS to be done in order to protect us all.

And their job from a small-minded view seems to be to get their clients off. But the real job is to ensure that the government (ie the prosecutors) do their job without abusing their power or the system.

Without defense attorneys, God knows how many more innocent people would be in jail. So yes, there are scummy ones. But it drives me nuts when people label all of them as unethical sleazeballs. That kind of demonization of entire groups is why people claim to hate liberals (pisses me off how successful the GOP has been with that). It's also what helped make Congress such a clusterfuck and government such a dirty word in many circles.

[Heidi]

42. Lawyers are certainly not universally hated. There is moral bankruptcy in every profession. (nt)

[TDale313]

9. Truly disgusting! n/t

[gollygee]

10. That's just evil

One of my girls is soon to turn 11. All her friends are 10 and 11. They don't look anywhere near 17. Even those who are starting to develop a bit look like little girls who are starting to develop a bit. I don't buy they didn't know this was a little girl.

[Lightbulb_on]

14. I thought this as well...

... until I saw a 12 year old who I could have sworn was in her early 20s.

Travelling on a train with her parents, who were sitting off to the side. Saw no less than 3 guys come chat her up, get a look of a shock on their face and quickly excuse themselves.

It was eerie...

[demmiblue]

16. Sure, that sounds about right.

Bring on the "cool story bro" pics.

[Lightbulb_on]

17. Believe it or don't...

It is the internet after all...

[TwilightGardener]

15. She was a child and could not consent. Did not understand how

she was being abused. Just sad.

[99Forever]

19. Despicable. n/t

[white_wolf]

22. While I firmly believe everyone has a right to an attorney...

this one really seems to have crossed an ethical line by the spider comparison. Of course, it doesn't sound like he has much chance of winning this case anyone.

[Deep13]

27. I understand making the most out of a crappy case...

...but I cannot image that blaming a child helped his client any. Really bone-headed argument.

[white_wolf]

29. I get the feeling he's grasping at straws here.

I think he knows he's going to lose. Or maybe he's just an idiot and actually thinks he can win this one. The way the article talked though it sounded like the prosecution has a rather strong case.

[Mariana]

35. Maybe he really believes what he's saying. nt.

[Baitball Blogger]

28. There should be a rule that underaged raped victims should not have to hear a lawyer's opening or

closing statement. That eleven year old sounds like she has been mentally abused long before that day.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

34. Underaged raped victims are not required to hear a lawyer's opening or closing statements.

Over-aged raped victims are not required to do that either.

[Baitball Blogger]

36. Good to hear it.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

30. There are no words

to describe how repugnant this is.

[beam me up scottie]

31. At what age does a little girl become a predator?

What if she was 6?

[atre]

38. I'm a prosecutor. This is what defense lawyers do.

A few years ago, a jury from my district came back not guilty in a statutory rape case because - as the foreperson explained afterwards - they thought that the 9 year old victim wanted sex. Seriously.

Look, zealous advocacy by defense lawyers is what makes the system work. But, at the same time, relaxation of the ethical rules so that criminal defense lawyers can say or do virtually anything, misrepresent whatever they want -- it's a big part of why we are all unsafe.

[markpkessinger]

41. Given that minors cannot legally give consent . . .

. . . I'm rather surprised a judge would allow this.