Duke Lacrosse Case Charges to Be Dropped

[cal04]

Three Players Were Facing Charges of First Degree Kidnapping, First Degree Forcible Sexual Offense
The office of Attorney General Roy Cooper will announce that he is dismissing all charges against three Duke Lacrosse players, ABC News has learned from sources close to the case. The reasons that will be cited for the dismissal are not yet known.

The three players, Reade Seligmann, David Evans and Collin Finnerty were facing charges of first degree kidnapping and first degree forcible sexual offense. The charges stem from an off-campus party on the night of March 13, 2006. In the hours after the party, one of two dancers hired to perform for the players claimed she had been violently raped in a bathroom by members of the lacrosse team.

The players had also been indicted for first degree rape, but that charge was dismissed on Dec. 22, 2006.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter/story?id=3028515&page=1
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-licase0411,0,5723731.story?coll=ny-top-headlines

[greyl]

1. Good, but not good enough, imo. nt

[Herman Munster]

2. the kids will be OK

They'll get their million dollar book deals and exclusive interviews. They'll also go on the speaker circuit and tour the country making lots of money.

Infamy in America is lucrative.

[regnaD kciN]

7. Fat chance...

This isn't O.J. -- practically no one knows their names. They're at nowhere near the level of "infamy" (as you put it) to be able to cash in on what happened to them.

Most likely, they'll go straight into the memory hole -- except for certain people who will always regard them as guilty, no matter the lack of evidence, and assert the only reason "they got away with it" was because they were well-off white males. As a matter of fact, I don't think you'll have to go too far to hear voices that will insist just that. :eyes:

[regnaD kciN]

6. Not nearly enough...

To begin with, two of the three accused players were immediately expelled. Are they going to be re-instated? No one knows yet. It's possible that Duke will decide their presence would be "too controversial" and let the expulsion stand, even after all charges are dropped.

I should hope they also consider civil action against Nifong, but I'm not sure if that is possible against a prosecutor doing his job, even with evidence of malfeasance.

[AshevilleGuy]

8. They were invited back to Duke but so far have declined.

Yeah, Nifong goes on trial himself soon and might be disbarred, which he should be. There are few things more dangerous in society that a rogue DA!!!

[no_hypocrisy]

3. I'll start the list. Add onto it as you deem best.

Criminal:

1. False arrest
2. Malicious prosecution

Civil:
1. Defamation of character

[Ignacio Upton]

4. That

and Nifong should be disbarred.

[Quantess]

5. It's about time.

Those charges should have dropped a long time ago.