Defense Lawyer Argues Women Are “The Weaker Sex” in Rape Case

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Summary: During a rape trial, a defense attorney shockingly said that women lie because they are of the “weaker sex.”

A wealthy businessman in Memphis has been accused of raping a woman who came to his house for a job interview. During the man’s defense, his attorney, Steve Farese, tried his best to blame the victim and his comments have been met with a wave of controversy.

  

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On Thursday, Farese told a Tennessee jury that women are “especially good” at lying “because they’re the weaker sex,” The Associated Press said. While a local women’s group called his defense strategy “absolutely despicable,” the attorney seemed to be unfazed.

“[My job] is not to care if anybody gets offended,” Farese said. “Smart people will see it for what it is.”

Giannini was accused of raping a potential employee, but he maintained that the sex was consensual. During the trial, Farese’s strategy was to question the woman’s credibility, a disgusting but common move in rape cases.

Farese brought up the woman’s criminal history and said that she was a drug mule. According to court documents, she was arrested in 2011 at a Mexican border patrol checkpoint for possessing nearly 5 pounds of cocaine and some marijuana. When questioned, the woman said she went to Mexico so that her children could see their father.

Farese then said that the woman was crying “on cue” during the trial, and he also made fun of her conservative clothing, stating that she was dressed like an Amish person for the sake of swaying the jury.

During his defense, Farese painted an image of the woman as opportunistic, trying to swindle his client out of millions. In addition to the criminal case, the woman filed a civil lawsuit for $6 million, which she said was to get justice in any way she could.

“She’s totally unbelievable,” Farese said. “People can be very good at lying. Women can be especially good at it because they’re the weaker sex and we … and we want to protect them and not have anybody take advantage of them at least I do.”

On Thursday, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Jessica Banti told the jury that Giannini, 51, belittled the job applicant, 28, while raping her, and Banti said the millionaire was trying to dehumanize the mother of four, according to The Commercial Appeal.

To a jury of mostly women, Banti described the victim’s ordeal with graphic and violent details before she laid into Giannini’s character during the closing arguments. She said that the self-made millionaire took advantage of the woman who was a Waffle House waitress applying for a housekeeping or personal assistant position. She said that he believed that no one would ever take the word of a low-status woman over him.

Thursday’s court date capped three days of testimony, and jurors are scheduled to deliberate on Friday. Giannini is charged with three counts of rape regarding this case, and he is also facing rape charges against three other women, which will involve separate trials, according to Commercial Appeal. 

• Related: Memphis Attorney Arrested for Rape 
• Related: India: Four Lawyers Accused of Rape, One Detained
• Related: Lawyer Gets Aroused by Physical Fight between Ex-Girlfriend and Current Girlfriend
• Related: Australian Lawyer Lied about Charges against Him to Obtain Character Reference

Source: Commercial Appeal

Mark Giannini mug shot courtesy of Raw Story

What do you think of this case and Farese’s comments? Let us know in the comments below.