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Rachael Denhollander Profile picture
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22 Nov, 9 tweets, 2 min read
4 yrs ago today I was sitting in court hearing Larry plead guilty to possession of CSAM. The prosecutor read "how much is a little girl worth?" from my letter to the judge, asking for the maximum penalty. Judge Neff gave it. It was the best possible result, and yet...
The little girls in that material still live with it. None were in the courtroom that day to know that anyone even fought for them. I was allowed to write a letter speaking to the sentence because of my role in the assault cases, but I think about them nearly every day.
It was an incredible privilege to speak in any way on their behalf, but even in the best of results, the damage and grief is still there.

The last two weeks have been extra raw for me and I couldn't figure out why until FB reminded me of the date. The body keeps the score.
During nearly the entire holiday season we were working through what was supposed to be the start of our trial on December 4th, and then plea deal details instead. It crept into holiday meal prep, Christmas shopping, and redoing family plans...
Over and over as court dates shifted repeatedly. I had reporters send me everything they could legally send about the CSAM Larry had so I could speak with details and knowledge on the behalf of those little girls.
And in the middle an aunt I was very close to received a severe cancer diagnosis and I couldn't travel to see her because court and finances from seeing it all through. She didn't survive, and I couldn't be at the funeral. Because court.
The entire holiday season and my birthday is completely intertwined with Larry and abuse now. And even with the best possible results, the body keeps the score.

So my point is this:
Imagine what those triggers are like for survivors with PTSD, or who went through it all and didn't get justice. Daily life behind the scenes can carry so much.

Abuse changes things forever. We should be doing everything in our power to prevent it, and respond well.
* realized I wrote this wrong. Today was the sentencing hearing for CSAM, the technical plea was earlier. :)

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More from @R_Denhollander

Rachael Denhollander Profile picture
6 Nov
I am disappointed and grieved to say that this is not what survivors and advocates actually called for and not what LU needs. I hope that this is the result of a lack of understanding on the part of LU and that it will be rectified quickly.

*thread*

m.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/nov/…
While a Title IX review is not a bad step, most of the allegations and concerns do not relate to technical Title IX policy violations (some do, but not most).

The actual concerns and allegations primarily center around allegations of:
1. A culture that silences survivors and minimizes abuse.

2. Poor responses by faculty and leadership.

3. Resistance to reform by leadership.

4. Lack of good communication on abuse related issues.

5.Lack of awareness and priorization of these issues by leadership.
Read 13 tweets
Rachael Denhollander Profile picture
13 Oct
I can't even count the number of stories I know like this. Medical sexual assault is extremely common, and rarely exposed.

What we need to wrestle with is why, and what has to change legally:
nytimes.com/2021/10/11/hea…
This article inadvertently plays a part in one of the major reasons, when it notes that sexual contact between Dr and patient is an ethical violation. As if what is described here is consensual contact that just breaches some ethics rules.
Yes, the ethics rules are important and yes there is always a power dynamic, that's why the rule is there.

But when predatory abusive and criminal behavior is flagged as wrong because of an ethics violation, it severely mischaracterizes the abuse and downplays needed response.
Read 26 tweets
Rachael Denhollander Profile picture
29 Sep
Dear EC member who answered the asked question "how much is a little girl worth?" By saying "worth having insurance proceeds to pay her", please hear my heart -

If you are going to speak those words, first ask those little girls and boys what they care about the most:
Ask them if they value money, or the truth, more.

Ask them which one they would rather have.

They will tell you they want the truth. They will tell you the incredible cost they have already paid fighting for it.
Ask the little girls and boys which they would rather accomplish: getting insurance money, or getting to the root problems and fixing them so another child doesn't live through their hell.

They will pick saving a child every single time. They've dedicated their lives to it.
Read 11 tweets
Rachael Denhollander Profile picture
20 Sep
The importance of waiving privilege is a question I get all the time from institutions in crisis - it's an issue in every case I work on.

Here's the bottom-line with waiver - risks and benefits:
The benefit of waiving is huge - because attorneys are usually involved in crafting the policies both for prevention and response, you simply cannot accurately diagnose problems without waiving privilege. You won't have access to all the information.
Not being able to accurately diagnose the problem increases your liability over the long-run because you will keep making mistakes, causing damage, and having responsibility for it. If you want to be a good fiduciary, stop thinking myopically.
Read 13 tweets
Rachael Denhollander Profile picture
20 Sep
This letter below is patently and blatantly false in it's legal statements, and any attorney who is making these claims, cannot be doing so unintentionally.

Also note the realities being disclosed here:
Attorneys were intentionally brought into every conversation about abuse and abuse reform. The same attorneys survivors have said for decades, were at the root of every coverup and mishandling.

This is widely known. That's not an accident.
If one truly desires the best counsel on abuse prevention and response, you bring in experts who specialize in the law and abuse policy. You do not bring in the very attorneys at the root of the issues, literally for decades - The very attorneys you were begged not to bring in.
Read 8 tweets
Rachael Denhollander Profile picture
15 Sep
I'm just going to be very blunt - this is horrible for those of us on the frontlines who paid the price over and over. Read this.

What if we hadn't had Dt. Munford and @AngiePovilaitis .

These women are absolute heroes. Read what they had to do for us.
And so are the 9 women and girls who allowed their cases to be charged and went through the hell of testifying. Remember them. Because of these women and girls and the only detective and prosecutor who fought for us, we got where we are today.
Remember the over 100 survivors who called the MSU PD to file reports, and the dozen or so who showed up over and over to MSU Board meetings and press interviews for two years.

Remember there are nine of us still acting as court appointed fiduciaries in the bankruptcy process.
Read 7 tweets

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