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Military Defense Lawyer (Former JAG Attorney)
News:
Recently, a military NCO who faced a general court-martial (GCM) in which the NCO was accused of sexual assault was found not guilty of that allegation (UCMJ Article 120). The accused military member was defended by military law attorney Richard V. Stevens (Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, P.C.).
The military NCO client was accused of sexually assaulting a female military member after a party in which they consumed alcohol together and engaged in other social activities together. The complainant was interested in dating someone else, and what happened at the party jeopardized that. The complainant’s behavior at the party also could have jeopardized her Air Force career. But, by alleging sexual assault, the complainant was able to avoid the personal and professional consequences of her behavior that night.
The military NCO client faced a general court-martial trial. Before trial, there were multiple motion hearings dealing with the complainant’s background and possible issues regarding her credibility and reliability. During the trial, the complainant was cross-examined about significant issues regarding her lack of credibility and reliability, and her motives to misrepresent what actually happened that night. That included getting the complainant to admit that she lied, under oath, during her motion hearing testimony.
Ultimately, despite the environment in the military justice system regarding these issues, the accused NCO client was found not guilty of the charged sexual assault. Had there been a conviction regarding this sexual assault allegation, the client would have faced the possibility of many years in prison. Thankfully, the officer client was not convicted of this false claim and was cleared to continue their military career.
While the serious sexual assault allegation in this military court-martial 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.
In addition to the sexual assault allegation in this case, Attorney Richard V. Stevens has defended many, many other allegations of rape and sexual assault within the military justice system over the course of decades. He has been practicing military law since 1995. For more information about the military justice system, particularly cases alleging rape and sexual assault in the military, see:
https://militaryadvocate.com/practice-areas/sex-crimes/
We offer free consultations for a case you may be involved in. Just call us.
Thank you.
Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, P.C.
Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military
defense lawyer
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.
