Tag Archives: rape

Taekwondo coach Jean Lopez un-banned

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to understand this. The U.S. Center for SafeSport has lifted a permanent ban imposed earlier this year on Sugar Land taekwondo coach Jean Lopez, clearing the way for Lopez to resume coaching while he and his brother, two-time Olympic … Continue reading →

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Rape kit backlog lawsuit dismissed

Posted on August 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. A federal judge has dismissed a 2017 lawsuit two rape victims filed against Houston’s current mayor and police chief and five sets of predecessors, among others, for allowing a backlog of rape kits to accumulate over decades without being … Continue reading →

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Larry Nasser indicted in Walker County

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something, but it’s not enough. A Walker County grand jury Friday indicted two former USA Gymnastics officials, disgraced physician Larry Nassar and athletic trainer Debra Van Horn, in conjunction with Nassar’s sexual abuse of gymnasts at the Karolyi Ranch … Continue reading →

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In which we try again to eliminate a rape kit backlog

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

How exactly did we get here? The city’s independent crime lab on Tuesday announced an ambitious plan to clear a backlog of hundreds of rape kits and other DNA evidence, the latest effort to rein in a recurring problem that … Continue reading →

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Add taekwondo to the list of problematic sports

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Also a sport with local ties. Last week, four female USA Taekwondo (USAT) athletes filed a joint lawsuit against the USOC and USAT, alleging that the two organizations engaged in sex trafficking by forcing its athletes — including minor females … Continue reading →

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Will the AG get involved in the Karolyi case?

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The gymnasts who were victimized by Larry Nasser at the Karolyi Ranch would like to see a higher level of action. The Texas Attorney General’s Office should take the steps of the Michigan attorney general in aggressively pursuing charges against … Continue reading →

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More accusers against Paul Pressler

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

So often the case when there is one accusation of abuse against a powerful person, more victims come forward with their own stories. The list of men accusing a former Texas state judge and leading figure of the Southern Baptist … Continue reading →

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More on the Pressler lawsuit

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron adds some details to the lawsuit against former State Representative and Judge Paul Pressler, who has been accused by Duane Rollins of long-term sexual abuse. Rollins worked in 2003 and 2004 as a personal assistant to Pressler and … Continue reading →

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The Paul Pressler lawsuit

Posted on December 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here‘s a thing to keep an eye on. A former Texas state judge and lawmaker has been accused of sexually abusing a young man for several decades starting when the boy was just 14, according to a lawsuit filed in … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over untested rape kits

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This could be a big deal. A former Houston woman is suing the City of Houston and a long list of current and former mayors and police chiefs for failing to investigate a backlog of more than 6,000 untested rape … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick doesn’t care about sexual assault

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Such a moral exemplar you are, Danno. Amid a wave of reports of women alleging Donald Trump kissed or groped them without their consent, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrickmaintained Thursday that the Republican presidential nominee has effectively pushed the issue behind … Continue reading →

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“Grab her by the p—-“

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Donald Trump, ladies and gentlemen: Donald Trump bragged in vulgar terms about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women during a 2005 conversation caught on a hot microphone, saying that “when you’re a star, they let you do … Continue reading →

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Legislation to ban the jailing of rape victims proposed

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to argue with, I must say. The controversial jailing of a rape victim to ensure her testimony could lead to a new state law protecting victims’ rights to an appointed attorney. State Sen. Joan Huffman is joining with Harris … Continue reading →

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Jailed rape victim’s lawyer calls for special prosecutor

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

To investigate the actions of the DA’s office that led to her incarceration. Prosecutors broke the law when they jailed a rape victim in order to secure her testimony against her attacker, the woman’s attorney claimed Monday in a letter … Continue reading →

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More on the jailed rape victim

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron pens a harsh editorial. Although a spokesman for the district attorney’s office has admitted this miscarriage of justice should never have happened, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson defends the prosecutor involved in the case. She says the … Continue reading →

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Falkenberg talks to DA Anderson about jailed rape victim

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Worth reading, as you would expect. I’m going to quote from the conclusion: [Assistant DA Nick] Socias appeared to have diligently tried to help, but he seemed to be trying alone. Anderson’s office said she wasn’t informed about the situation … Continue reading →

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Why would you even think to put a rape victim in jail?

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I am outraged. The 25-year-old rape victim, frightened and long-suffering from mental illness, agreed in December to testify against the Houston man who brutally assaulted her in 2013. She hoped to put him behind bars for life. But that decision … Continue reading →

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Baylor fires Art Briles

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Baylor University, in response to allegations of sexual assaults made against students — including by several football players — announced Thursday that football coach Art Briles has been suspended with intent to terminate, and Kenneth Starr will no … Continue reading →

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Another unintended consequence of tort “reform”

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Lisa Falkenberg: At every turn in her ordeal, Laura has felt irrelevant. The Houston mother of two says she was raped in her hospital bed by a doctor who she claims checked his phone afterward while she cried. She … Continue reading →

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R Kelly still on the bill at FPSF 2015

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Progress report from the Cancel R Kelly At FPSF 2015 Facebook page: No progress to report. Thanks for all the support! On Monday March 9th, we met again with Free Press Summer Fest. They had nothing to report about any … Continue reading →

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Chron covers R Kelly controversy

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the story. Free Press Houston and concert promoter Pegstar are deciding what to do about the inclusion of R&B performer R. Kelly at the 2015 Free Press Summer Festival after a local protest began to draw national attention. Kelly … Continue reading →

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Why is R Kelly in the Free Press Summerfest lineup?

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe this wasn’t such a hot idea. Music fan David Hayes has attended the Free Press Summer Fest every summer since 2010, and was planning to go this year as well—that is, until he saw that one of the headliners … Continue reading →

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All backlogged rape kits have been tested

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Great news. Houston officials have completed the lab testing and review of a three-decade backlog of rape kits, yielding 850 matches in the national DNA database. On Monday, Mayor Annise Parker, District Attorney Devon Anderson and police department and crime … Continue reading →

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Working for progress on LGBT issues

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m always a little wary when I see a phrase like “chipping away” in a story about LGBT issues, but in this case it refers to obstacles, not hard-won victories, so it’s OK. The rights and interests of homosexual Texans … Continue reading →

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More suspects arrested from the rape kit backlog

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More good news. Houston’s effort to test a nearly three-decade backlog of sexual assault kits has resulted in new charges filed against 19 people, city officials said Monday, including 10 suspects identified and arrested for the first time. One of … Continue reading →

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Almost nobody is following Rick Perry’s lead in defying the Prison Rape Elimination Act

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Emily dePrang has the story. Back in March, Gov. Rick Perry sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder declaring his intent to defy a federal law designed to reduce sexual assault in prison. It was a very Perry … Continue reading →

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We really should comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the law. During a House County Affairs Committee hearing Monday, local sheriffs said the most problematic provision of the 2003 law is a requirement that minors be housed separately from adult prison … Continue reading →

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HPD’s good, bad, and ugly

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that the testing of backlogged rape kits has led to the identification of a serial rapist in Houston. Houston police on Tuesday for the first time identified a criminal suspect – a possible serial rapist – … Continue reading →

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Perry says Texas will not comply with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Amazing the number of laws Rick Perry refuses to obey, isn’t it? More than a decade after the Prison Rape Elimination Act unanimously passed Congress, federal standards for implementation of the law have been finalized. Now, Gov. Rick Perry and … Continue reading →

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More details on the rape kit backlog results

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

HPD reports to Council about the progress of testing done on the backlogged rape kits. No false arrests by Houston police have been uncovered during an ongoing $4.4 million testing of thousands of old rape kits, but new suspects have … Continue reading →

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How extreme is too extreme?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The GOP candidates for Lite Guv are doing their best to test the hypothesis that having an R next to your name is all you need to get elected statewide in Texas, regardless of your stated positions on issues. The … Continue reading →

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Clearing the rape kit backlog is producing results

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very promising results. Private forensic laboratories hired to clear the Houston Police Department’s untested DNA evidence – including a decades-old rape kit backlog – have identified potential offenders in a third of the cases where sufficient DNA samples were found, … Continue reading →

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More on the jail’s new non-discrimination policy

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the new non-discrimination policy that was implemented at the Harris County Jail. Crafted in the last 16 months with input from local and national LGBT community leaders and groups, it strictly prohibits “discrimination or harassment … Continue reading →

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No action on SB5 in the Senate

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The name of the game is running out the clock. Texas Democrats, far outnumbered by Republicans in both the House and the Senate, are nonetheless on the verge of killing one of the most restrictive abortion proposals in the nation … Continue reading →

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