The trial of a podiatrist who has been accused of rape nears a verdict that will likely come within the next week. The verdict could come as early as the 14th of September. According to the complainant, the doctor is accused of getting the woman drunk and then assaulting her in his home in April of 2016. He is also accused of taking nude photos of the woman after the event took place.
Unsurprisingly, the doctor is claiming that the sex they had was consensual as were the pictures he took of the woman. The doctor, Scott Strolla, is defended by his brother Cory Strolla. Cory maintains that the woman had sex with the doctor consensually but afterward regretted the encounter. The prosecution maintains the Scott Strolla had sex with the woman while she was unconscious and then snapped photos to memorialize the incident.
He Said, She Said in a Criminal Court
Most of you are probably familiar with the sex crimes lawsuit against Antonio Brown. In that case, Brown’s accuser claims that Brown assaulted her while Brown claims that any sex they had was consensual. Criminal charges have not been pressed in this incident, but that doesn’t mean they won’t. The entire situation has everyone on social media formulating an opinion and taking sides while more information becomes public.
In a civil case, the burden of proof is much lower. The jury need only believe that the plaintiff’s story was more likely than not. In a criminal case, the jury must decide that they have no reasonable doubts left as to the veracity of the prosecution’s claims.
Similar to both cases is a question of infidelity. The defense has argued that the woman’s boyfriend was upset that he caught her cheating and so she lied about the incident in order to cover her tracks. This is similar to the Antonio Brown case. Brown’s accuser is recently married and had a fiance at the time of the alleged assaults. Brown will likely argue that they did have a consensual relationship and that his accuser regretted doing something that would have an impact on her relationship with her fiance.
After the incident, the woman immediately made a 911 call to police which the prosecution played for the jury. In the call, the woman can be heard in distress. The question then becomes: Did the prosecution meet their burden of proof?
In both cases, the strategy employed by the defense will be to attack the credibility of the complainant/plaintiff. The benefit of a criminal trial is that the defense cannot claim the whole thing is one big money grab.
Talk to a West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Attorney
If you’ve been accused of a serious crime, the West Palm Beach criminal attorneys at the Skier Law Firm, P.A. can help give you a fighting chance against the prosecution. We will ensure that any deal you get is fair and force the prosecution to meet its burden beyond a reasonable doubt. Call us today for more information.