In 2011 the Alaska Office of Victims’ Rights reached out to NCVLI for assistance in a sexual assault case where the victim’s privacy was in jeopardy.  The trial court had granted the defendant’s pretrial discovery motion ordering the victim to disclose sensitive, confidential, and privileged health care information, including possible mental health and substance abuse treatment records.

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Defendant, convicted of criminal copyright infringement and mail fraud for the sale of pirated copies of outdated software, appealed the district court’s order of almost $750,000 in restitution to the corporate victim under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act (MVRA), 18 U.S.C.

NCVLI is excited to announce the publication of a new Bulletin titled ”Seeking Release Conditions and Protective Orders That Benefit Child-Victims.”  To access this Bulletin, please visit NCVLI’s Safeguarding Child-Victims’ Rights Initiative page at http://law.lclark.edu/centers/national_crime_victim_law_

Petitioner, a private investigator whose license was revoked by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST), sought judicial review of the revocation order, which was based in part on the determination that petitioner—while working for private criminal defense attorneys—interviewed crime victims without disclosing his true identity and role and without informing the victims of their right to refuse defense interviews.  The Oregon Constitution grants crime victims the right to refuse an interview request by a criminal defendant or anyone acting on the behalf of the crimina

Defendants, separately convicted of various federal fraud charges arising out of a Ponzi scheme, appealed the district court’s order reopening their sentences and awarding about $17 million in restitution to the victims under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act (MVRA), 18 U.S.C.

Defendant pled guilty to aggravated assault, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child, and sexual exploitation of a child, arising out of his sexual assault of a 10-year-old child-victim.  Defendant appealed the trial court’s order that he pay restitution for the costs of relocating the child-victim’s family to Hawaii that were not covered by state victims’ compensation program funds.  Defendant, who was the live-in nanny for the child-victim’s twin, sexually assaulted the child-victim over a period of several months.  The child-victim and his family lived in a small, rural town, and after

Defendant created the fictitious McPherson Property Group and induced the victim-investor into purchasing worthless shares of the company.  Additionally, defendant opened bank and merchant accounts under 56 different names and received payment from numerous entities for work never performed.  The federal government eventually charged defendant with two counts of bank fraud, one count of uttering a forged and counterfeit security, and one count of fraud and related activity in connection with access devices.  The government later moved to dismiss the forged security charge, and defendant ult

Defendant appealed, arguing that the statutory closure provision conflicted with the requirements established by the Supreme Court in Waller v. Georgia, 467 U.S.

On October 1, 2012 the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that victims depicted in child abuse imagery have a right to restitution when a defendant is found in possession of the images, regardless of whether the defendant created or distributed them.  This ruling is significant for victims of these crimes, whose images are often spread widely among networks of criminals who view their abuse, resulting in thousands and thousands of viewings.  Imagine knowing that images of your abuse as a child are being viewed around the world for years, with no way to halt this re-victimization.  The rea