Barbara Walter's "View" today

[shortbun]

I think we should let the characters play it out in private. I think Barbara Walters was crossing some boundaries lending her credibility to Woody Allen when she has no idea what goes on behind closed doors. Just because someone 'appears' to be an attentive parent, doesn't mean they are not abusing their children. I believe Dylan has no reason to speak out except that she finally has the courage. I certainly do not know but that he fell in love with his teenaged step daughter certainly casts suspicion.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

Agreed, how Woody is with his other children has no bearing on his relationship with Dylan.

But Mia would have us believe that in the middle of a custody dispute, in a house full of children and nannies, Woody snuck away and molested Dylan in an attic, despite the fact that there was no credible evidence to support the allegation, no medical evidence that the child had been molested.

 

[robinb]

I just read Dylan Farrow's open letter. I find it very compelling. Then again, it doesn't take too much of a stretch of imagination to think that a man who had sexual relations with teenaged step-daughter wouldn't also abuse his own daughter. Woody Allen is scum.

 

[Robinrs]

I think we should let the characters play it out in private. I think Barbara Walters was crossing some boundaries lending her credibility to Woody Allen when she has no idea what goes on behind closed doors. Just because someone 'appears' to be an attentive parent, doesn't mean they are not abusing their children. I believe Dylan has no reason to speak out except that she finally has the courage. I certainly do not know but that he fell in love with his teenaged step daughter certainly casts suspicion.

Absolutely.

I know SO many women abused as children that would rather die than accuse their abuser due to attitudes like Barbara's and others on this thread...

The pain is so deep and when they FINALLY do speak they get statistics and opinions thrown at them...it's pathetic. And what happens, the perp gets away with it.

 

[NY Disney fan]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/27/the-woody-allen-allegations-not-so-fast.html

Just some food for thought.

That was a really good article. thanks! (Note: even though it proves that Mia is no angel and is a sneaky snake, I still believe Dyan though).

 

[htmom]

I think Barbara Walters has gotten to be less of a journalist more of a "TV personality". I used to really like her, as a journalist. Lol. The last few years her opinions seem like they are presented as fact. I don't like the way she drowns out the cohosts with her thoughts, and insinuates they are wrong.

 

[okeydokey]

I believe Mia and Dylan. What kind of man takes naked pictures of a child he has raised as a daughter and then marries her when she is barely of legal age?

 

[cabanafrau]

and you do realize, of course, that false allegations of child abuse are a fairly common weapon in acrimonious custody proceedings.

http://family.findlaw.com/child-abuse/do-s-and-don-ts-false-allegations-of-child-abuse.html

http://www.expertlaw.com/library/domestic_violence/false_accusations.html

http://www.tripconylawfirm.com/faq-list-child-false-allegations.html

It's my experience that it's far more common for these cases to either never be prosecuted or to fall in preliminary stages because of lack of evidence, particularly with very young victims.

I worked a case about 3 years ago now where an entire extended family lined up against a teenager testifying against her great uncle. She only had the support of her mother who was the niece of the defendant. The jury saw through to the truth & convicted. I had the satisfaction of being present at subsequent evidentiary hearings in the appellate process where the defendant, in an effort to overturn his conviction, had to admit that he "accidentally brushed her buttocks" & his lawyer told him he would have had to plead to rape to take the plea deal offered. His sister(grandmother to the victim) woke up to reality on the witness stand when she was being questioned about what the attorney had told them all in the conference room regarding going to trial or taking a plea deal. It was quite something to watch her reaction when she realized that her brother had lied to all of the family when he swore up and down he had never done anything & the girl was just mad at him about something he had no idea of. Now when it suited his purpose he had "accidentally" brushed her buttocks & went to trial because he "didn't rape nobody".

Grandma was only in her late fifties. She could barely walk when it was time to leave the stand and could have easily passed for 80 after realizing the truth.

Pedos & addicts are the best liars & smoothest operators you'll ever see.

 

[scoutie]

It's my experience that it's far more common for these cases to either never be prosecuted or to fall in preliminary stages because of lack of evidence, particularly with very young victims

Yep. My husband is a prosecutor and has seen many pedophiles walk free because of certain laws and rules (not being able to bring up past cases, certain types of evidence, etc.)

The fact that a poster knows a judge and considers him to be fair does not really mean much. My DH works with very fair judges that he respects greatly, and has seen plenty of criminals walk.

A wealthy celebrity with lots of power and clout walking free on a sex abuse charge is not surprising.

Dylan (the victim) has zero to gain from this.

 

[robinb]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/27/the-woody-allen-allegations-not-so-fast.html

Just some food for thought.

Oh please. That was one big long wet kiss for Allen made by a man who wants to retain friendly access so he can do more documentaries.

 

[cabanafrau]

Yes, but was the investigator in that matter disciplined for prejudicing court proceedings?

Surely as a lawyer you are familiar with the concept that what lawyers say isn't evidence, but is merely meant to frame each party's theories of a case? What the prosecutor did or said has no bearing on the facts of the case and therefore has no relation to whether the crime did or did not occur.

 

[LisaR]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/27/the-woody-allen-allegations-not-so-fast.html

Just some food for thought.

That is definitely food for thought. Good read.

 

[lisaviolet]

- not being able to bring up past cases.

OT:

This one is paramount to a lot of pedophiles walking. There can be a string of victims spreading across multiple decades and the courts can be forced to separate the trials and testamonies. Even if the information is coming out at the same time.

I feel sorry for the jurors that might have to hear/discover later that there were multiple accusations and trials for the same person, but they were not allowed to be privy to it.

The law is something.

 

[Scornelius]

I can offer some insight hereabout my opinion.

My reaction is also based on my experiences with Justice Elliot Wilk, the judge to whom the custody matter was assigned.

I appeared before Justice Wilk many times in the 1980's. I found him to be an extremely thorough, fair and conscientious jurist. When he ruled against Mia on the issue of the molestation, my personal opinion was that the molestation did not occur. Had there been credible evidence to support Mia's claim, Wilk's decision would have said so.

I find it darkly humourous that in a thread about people refusing to believe Woody Allen could have possibly done these things, because they just "know" he wouldn't, your position is (at least partly) based on your experience with a professional acquaintance from 30 years ago, because you just "know" he wouldn't be wrong. We NEVER know people the way we think they do.

Honestly, I think Mia brainwashed Dylan. Mia would have done anything to hurt Woody.

He seduced and married an 18 year old that he only ever knew and raised as his step daughter. I think he's the one that did the brainwashing.

Just to point out -- the Connecticut authorities investigated the allegations at the time and determined that no crime had been committed.

Unless I'm misunderstanding and you're talking about one of the other times Woody was suspected of doing horrible things, I was under the impression that they determined that there was probable cause, but that the little girl was too fragile to proceed.

I believe Mia and Dylan. What kind of man takes naked pictures of a child he has raised as a daughter and then marries her when she is barely of legal age?

Ding ding ding. The man is disgusting. I don't understand how anyone can defend him because of his "art". If we ONLY look at the things he fully admits to, he's awful. Charles Manson can write a good song, but I don't see people lining up to do a duet. (And yes, I do think raping and abusing children is just as bad a murder.)

When I was a teenager, a very close family friend was arrested and convicted of luring children. He was caught at a motel where he had arranged to meet a 12 year old girl for sex. He was found with a gun, rope and shovel in his trunk. This is someone who babysat me as a child, who was at family events, who was an upstanding member of the community. NO ONE would have suspected that he was a monster. You DON'T know who people really are.

 

[shortbun]

double post

 

[shortbun]

I think Barbara Walters has gotten to be less of a journalist more of a "TV personality". I used to really like her, as a journalist. Lol. The last few years her opinions seem like they are presented as fact. I don't like the way she drowns out the cohosts with her thoughts, and insinuates they are wrong.

I agree! She's downright rude and she gets away with it because she comes off as too old to fight with. I think she takes advantage of that. I would not want to work with her. She's always saying how much she loves everyone; I'm guessing they don't love her back. It's a paycheck. Sherri stood up for herself today!!!

 

[sunshinehighway]

I remember listening to an interview Howard Stern did wwith Mia on his Sirius show a few years ago. After that interview these accusations do not surprise me at all.
What happened between him and Soon Yi is just not normal in any way. Even if you take what Mia said in the interview as not true (I believe her though), him and Soon Yi is still not normal.

 

[Scornelius]

Sherri stood up for herself today!!!

Do tell! I missed it today, what happened?

 

[Laura66]

Absolutely.

I know SO many women abused as children that would rather die than accuse their abuser due to attitudes like Barbara's and others on this thread...

The pain is so deep and when they FINALLY do speak they get statistics and opinions thrown at them...it's pathetic. And what happens, the perp gets away with it.

Bingo! I was sexually abused by a family member at that age. It stopped at 12 when I finally had the courage to tell him I'd scream if he ever touched me again. I did tell my father, who thank goodness believed me and did his best to keep this person away from me. We agreed not to tell my mother and other family members because we knew they'd never believe he would do it.

Why was it that I had to suffer all these years? Like so many victims do! I retreated into myself at family functions that he was at and was labeled a snob or stand offish.

When a family member had children the age I was when the abuse happened and they left them with this person in the house for child care I decided I had to warn them. How was I rewarded? Called a liar and told I was looking to break up the family - looking for attention. So I never told anyone else. Because I refused to let my children near this person and avoided him I was again acused of thinking I was better than other family members.

Never told my mom - but I think deep down she knows. Since he's dead I now attend family get togethers.

I don't shout it from the rooftops - but I have no problem letting people know I was the victim of sexual abuse by a family member. It's not my fault it happened. Had there been an investigation back then I'm sure they wound have cleared him and found no evidence of abuse. These people are slick and walk hidden among us! The more people I talk to the more stories I hear - just like mine and Dylan's. Why shouldn't we talk about it? Just because it's uncomfortable for you to hear???

I will talk about it - so people who gave been abused know they're not alone and that it's not their fault. That they can move forward - that although it will always be a part of you - you don't need to "get over it". That you can be happy and have normal relationships with your partner or husbands or wives!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I read over the weekend, in conjunction with Dylan's open letter, that there was in fact enough evidence to prosecute, but Mia decided not to press charges because everybody felt it was better for Dylan's "fragile" state. Is that not the case?