San Diego Date Rape Defense Lawyer & Attorney

Date Rape Charges in San Diego?
Contact a San Diego Criminal Defense Lawyer.

Our society promotes a culture that seems to advocate certain behaviors at one time, and then admonish them at others.   This can lead to a number of confusing situations, and accusations of date rape can arise from an innocent mistake, frequently compounded by the use of drugs and alcohol. 

Because date rape cases usually involve only the testimony of the accuser and the accused and the events in question almost always occur in private such cases can be aggressively defended by the experienced lawyers of our firm. There is often little physical evidence and no witnesses other than the two parties involved so such cases can hinge on the pre-trial work that is done to cull through the history of relationships, psychological profiles, strains in the relationship that may have motivated an accuser, financial difficulties and any of the other relevant factors in the relationship that may have come into play to affect the incident.

Detailed analysis of any drugs or alcohol involved and the degree they may have played and how such evidence was handled or mishandled by the authorities also is important. Was evidence seized and if so was it properly obtained through a search warrant? What should you do if the police seek to interview you? Do you have to provide a DNA sample? What happens if a civil suit is filed against you? Those are among the many questions that can be quickly answered by our legal team, who will be dedicated to preserving all of your legal options if you contact us as soon as you can so that we can begin preparing your defense as early and as effectively as possible. This is important because date rape and other sexual crimes carry usually carry very stiff punishments upon convictions and the stronger the case we can prepare on your behalf the more opportunity there is for a dismissal, acquittal or reduction of charges on your behalf. Such cases often carry a high bail and we have made many court appearances in which we have convinced judges to lower the bail requested by prosecutors.

The application of date rape can vary significantly depending on the circumstances involved.  One definintion of date rape is "forcible sexual intercourse by a male acquaintance of a woman, during a voluntary social engagement in which the woman did not intend to submit to the sexual advances and resisted the acts by verbal refusals, denials or pleas to stop, and/or physical resistance."

The fact that the people involved knew each other or that the woman willingly spent time with the man are not legal defenses to a charge of rape. In fact, some lawyers can use a previous relationship against a defendant, as it can appear to be malice aforethought or the actions of a stalker.

This complicated situation requires immediate and experienced legal counsel.  The sooner that you engage a dedicated defense team the better your chances of a favorable outcome to your current situation. Date rape charges are a serious matter and need to be handled by an experienced San Diego Criminal Defense Law Firm. Contact the Criminal Defense Lawyers at Steigerwalt Law Firm today to review your case!