Post by Logan on Mar 17, 2016 4:28:38 GMT -6
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah woman says in a lawsuit that a longtime federal judge sexually assaulted her when he was a prosecutor and she was a teenage witness in a high-profile case 35 years ago.
Lawyers for Richard W. Roberts acknowledged an intimate relationship, but they called the accusations in the lawsuit filed Wednesday "categorically false" and said Roberts will challenge them in court.
The lawsuit was filed the same day Roberts announced his retirement as chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to documents obtained by The National Law Journal. In a letter to the White House, Roberts said his employment was effective Wednesday, based on medical advice for an unspecified disability.
The Utah Attorney General's Office announced after the lawsuit was filed that they have investigated the woman's allegations, but opted not to prosecute Roberts. Investigators found evidence of a sexual relationship, but they determined Roberts didn't break any laws, in part because the woman was old enough to consent to sexual relations under Utah laws in 1981.
Read more: bismarcktribune.com/news/national/utah-woman-sues-federal-judge-over-sex-assault-allegations/article_25a0872c-37af-5153-8ab2-39b65bd101ac.html
Lawyers for Richard W. Roberts acknowledged an intimate relationship, but they called the accusations in the lawsuit filed Wednesday "categorically false" and said Roberts will challenge them in court.
The lawsuit was filed the same day Roberts announced his retirement as chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to documents obtained by The National Law Journal. In a letter to the White House, Roberts said his employment was effective Wednesday, based on medical advice for an unspecified disability.
The Utah Attorney General's Office announced after the lawsuit was filed that they have investigated the woman's allegations, but opted not to prosecute Roberts. Investigators found evidence of a sexual relationship, but they determined Roberts didn't break any laws, in part because the woman was old enough to consent to sexual relations under Utah laws in 1981.
Read more: bismarcktribune.com/news/national/utah-woman-sues-federal-judge-over-sex-assault-allegations/article_25a0872c-37af-5153-8ab2-39b65bd101ac.html