Day By Day© by Chris Muir.

March 23, 2007

Remaining Charges Against Duke Lacrosse Players Likely to be Dropped

From FOX News:

Inside Lacrosse Magazine writer Paul Caulfield told FOX News on Thursday that several sources have revealed to him that the assault and attempted kidnapping charges still pending against Collin Finnerty, 19, of Garden City, N.Y.; Dave Evans, 23, of Bethesda, Md.; and Reade Seligmann, 20, of Essex Falls, N.J., will soon be dropped.

"There is no case here and they will be hearing a dismissal in the coming days," Caulfield told FOX News.

Meanwhile, Durham's DA Mike Nifong is dealing with his own problems: ethics charges from the state bar association stemming from the case, including the accusation that he held back exculpatory evidence that could have helped the defendants prove their innocence.

There have been rumors that the families of Finnerty, Seligmann and Evans may be considering civil lawsuits against Nifong, Duke or the state if it turns out the accuser's story doesn't pan out and Nifong is found to be guilty of mishandling the case.

Normally I don't go for "gotcha" litigation, but in this case, I believe such lawsuits would be justified. These young men were publically humiliated on a national scale, both by the press and the school they attended. "Concerned faculty" who care more about their ideas of social justice than real justice were quick to publish a public statement that essentially branded the students as guilty before the case even got to court. And Nifong, in a tight race for re-election, decided that courting the black vote at the expense of "privileged white guys" was an acceptable tradeoff. Not only do I hope he's sued, but I hope the North Carolina bar decides to strip him of his credentials. He's a disgrace to the legal profession.

The accuser was called in yesterday for one last discussion about the case with prosecutors. Ace says,

It's to give the "victim" a diginity and courtesy she doesn't deserve -- first notice of the case being dropped, and an overly kind explanation for the state's decision.

Because they just don't have the onions to say what we all have known for a half year: She's a half-crazy drugged-out hooker and a God-damned liar. (And I choose my words carefully. Mean every one of them.)

Harsh? Perhaps. But as her identity has been kept secret all this time while the Duke students have had their names dragged through the mud on trumped-up charges, a little harshness is in order.

Related:

Duke Invites Two Lacrosse Players Back