Case Studies with Questions and Answers
Chapter 08: Sexual Battery
In 2009, Nancy Carr charged her college boyfriend of two and a half years with rape. Nancy and Doug Kerns dated for nearly 2.5 years, from the beginning of their freshmen year until midway through their junior year. In December of 2008, Nancy and Doug's relationship was beginning to sour after his arrest for driving under the influence and resisting arrest following a late-night drinking binge on his twenty-first birthday. After her parents found out about the incident, they encouraged Nancy to distance herself from Doug and his poor decisionmaking. Although Nancy was reluctant to completely give up on Doug, previous incidents of infidelity, compiled with the recent arrest, allowed for Nancy to make the tough but necessary decision. She let Doug know in person two weeks later, and they agreed to be friends. Through the rest of the semester they continued to talk via telephone and occasionally meet for lunch. The relationship was no longer physical, but Nancy agreed to sponsor Doug in his attempts to quit drinking and continued to tutor him in math and history when needed.
In March of 2009, Nancy informed Doug that she had begun seeing Timothy Crabtree, a neighbor of hers from her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, and that her previous relationship with Doug may interfere with the growth of her current relationship. She agreed to help him with his drinking problem but encouraged him to find a new tutor and to quit calling as much. A verbal disagreement ensued, and Doug left her apartment enraged. After a night of drinking on April 2, 2009, Doug made his way to Nancy's apartment, where a party was in progress. Once she noticed Doug at the party, she asked him to leave. He refused. Fearing Doug would make a scene, she asked him to talk to her in her room. Once in the room, Doug forced himself on Nancy and raped her before leaving. After speaking with her roommates in the morning, Nancy reported the act to campus police and Doug was arrested.