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Talk of the Town
By Sarah Gaffney
Q. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that a woman cannot sue her attacker if she is raped. What do you think about this? Follow-up: Are there crimes or offenses for which people should not be able to sue?
(asked at Campbell Park)
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Matt Jones
employee, 24 Hour Fitness, Gap
I don't know what to say. What a man does [in the instance of rape] is one of the most extreme crimes he can commit, and a woman will never get over it. Why shouldn't she be able to sue? Petty offenses? Things when people know it's their fault, like if you're lifting weights and you're careless and hurt yourself. Suing people for using their facilities when it's your fault, not theirs.
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Deepak Karandikar
marketing representative
I think that's a clear representation of the society we live in today, a male-driven society. You go to your highest court in the land and they're not okaying rape, but they're saying that person [the man] has no legal liability. Minor crimes? I don't think so, no. I think for any crime committed, the person should think about going to jail and civil liabilities. It's a "take charge of your actions" sort of thing.
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Cynthia Reyes
director, Santa Clara Ballet
I think that's bad, because then it seems there aren't any consequences, not enough consequences for the attacker. You'd feel pretty helpless. Sue-happy? It's sort of hard to decide in California because people sue for everything. I'm not sure. I'd really have to think about it some more.
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Loren Haas
cabinetmaker
I don't understand that, because they're [women] being harmed. You can sue someone if they break into your car, smash your window, break into your business. It's a basic principle--assault is assault. Inexcusable action? Probably not. If it's a crime, then by definition you've harmed someone. There's two points [to suing]: to pursue it [the crime] and keep someone from harming again.
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Campbell, California
