Military Defense Lawyer (Former JAG Attorney) News:
Recently, a second junior enlisted military member defended by attorney Richard V. Stevens (Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, P.C.) had the sexual assault court-martial case he faced dropped by the military after a pretrial motion hearing (UCMJ Article 120).
The military client was accused of, and investigated for, allegedly sexually and physically assaulting his former military girlfriend. Their relationship ended badly, and the complainant began dating another co-worker. She then made her formal complaints that she was physically and sexually assaulted by the client during the relationship. Charges were preferred against the client and the case proceeded past the Article 32 hearing and was referred to trial by general court-martial.
As the case proceeded toward the “felony” type military trial, the defense filed multiple motions that were heard during the pretrial motion hearing. These motions addressed the complainant’s background and issues regarding her credibility and reliability. Some motions were heard in a closed motion hearing session. After the motion hearing concluded, the case looked very different than it did during the military’s investigation. Still, the case proceeded toward trial. On the week before trial, with the motion rulings pending, the government elected to drop the court-martial charges and case against the client, and resolved the case with administrative action instead.
Had there been a court-martial trial and sex crime conviction in this case, the client could have been sentenced to a dishonorable discharge, a lengthy term of confinement in prison (possibly decades) and, in addition, he would have been required to register as a sex offender. Thankfully, the court-martial case was dropped and he was spared this risk of devastation to his future.
While this military court-martial and sexual assault case was successfully defended, it is important to understand that every case has different facts, and success in previous cases does not guarantee success in any particular future case. No military lawyer or civilian defense lawyer, including those who specialize in military law, can guarantee the outcome of any military trial or case.
For more information about the military justice system, particularly cases alleging rape and/or sexual assault in violation of UCMJ Article 120, type "rape" or "sexual assault" into the search bar above the blog posts and see:
https://militaryadvocate.com/military-offenses/sex-crimes/
We offer free consultations for a case you may be involved in. Just call us.
Thank you.
By: Attorney Richard V. Stevens
Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military defense lawyer
Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, P.C.
Blog postscript: I (attorney Richard V. Stevens) am a former active duty military lawyer (JAG). My perspectives and advice, therefore, are based upon my experience as military defense lawyer and as a civilian criminal defense lawyer practicing exclusively in the area of military law and military justice. This blog addresses issues in military law, military justice, military discipline, military defense, court-martial practice, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and other military and/or legal topics. Nothing posted in this blog should be substituted for legal advice in any particular case. If you seek legal advice for a particular case, please contact The Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens for a free consultation. These military defense law offices are located in the Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Maryland, National Capital Region (NCR), but the military defense representation is worldwide – when necessary, the attorneys travel to wherever the client is stationed around the world.
