Larry W. Zukerman, managing partner at Zukerman, Daiker and Lear in Cleveland, authored this guest column in the Cleveland Jewish News examining the serious legal and social consequences that flow from criminal accusations — even without a conviction.
Zukerman identifies three major categories of collateral harm from mere accusations. First, loss of employment: employers can fire, demote, or suspend workers upon accusation, citing liability concerns and workplace safety. Second, loss of educational rights: public and private colleges can use Title IX procedures to expel students based on accusations of off-campus conduct, placing students through a costly and one-sided appellate process. Third, reputational destruction: accusations of sexual assault carry a lasting stigma even through acquittal or dismissal, as “society has adopted its own moral compass as a substitute for the court of laws.”
Zukerman frames the piece as a defense of foundational American legal principles: “We should not forget the principles upon which our forefathers founded this country and the reason why our ancestors sought refuge here.”
Read the full article here: https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/opinion/guest_columns/collateral-consequences-of-mere-accusations/article_052103ce-43e9-11e8-873b-eb7e18a64f37.html
