Sexual Abuse and Due Process Abuse

By Deborah C. Tyler

In recent years I have seen false allegations of physical and sexual abuse made to gain advantage in the workplace, schools, and divorce and custody conflicts. I have also seen psychology -- which has refined methods for determining the truth in these emotionally fraught charges -- distorted and ignored in order to favor the accuser. As a forensic psychologist, I provide reviews of documentary evidence in allegations of sexual abuse. One such review involved Bill, who married a young woman named Marilyn a few years ago. She brought to the marriage a four-year-old son, Jimmy, who had been fathered by an abusive boyfriend. A year into the marriage, Marilyn started staying out all night and buying revealing clothes. She changed her marital status on Facebook to "complicated" and demanded $10,000 in cash from Bill. The couple separated and eventually filed for divorce. Some months later, Marilyn alleged that Bill had molested Jimmy during a weekend visit. The infamous McMartin preschool trial marked the beginning of a new era in child.... (Read Full Article)