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Believing victims is something victims’ rights organizations must and should do contact us within the context and the purpose of our work. On the other hand, outside of the victim service organizational context, there contact us is a heightened standard for who is deemed a victim. In a recent controversial and precedent setting ruling, Colorado District Judge Terry Ruckriegle instructed prosecution and defense attorneys in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case to refer to the accuser as the "alleged victim" rather than the unqualified “victim” in all court proceedings. In his three-page ruling the judge wrote, "The common understanding of the term 'victim' certainly implies that a person has been the subject of a particular wrong or crime, and its use under these circumstances [emphasis added] could improperly suggest that a crime has been committed such that the presumption of innocence might be jeopardized." The judge explained that the more neutral language does not assume a crime was committed.
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