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Nancy Grace
No Jail Time for Lawrence Taylor
Aired March 22, 2011 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. A "Dancing With the Stars" phenom stuns fans with his moves on the dance floor, but police say he had a pimp deliver a teenage girl to his room like she`s a pizza! The girl beaten with a black eye when she refused. Then, allegedly, the star attacks the girl, sexually attacking her -- after secretly she sends secret text messages to her uncle, cops locate and rescue the teen, the 10th grade girl giving police graphic details of the night she was forced into the room with Taylor, him (ph) using a condom, then saying nothing as she leaves the room, just ordering her to cut off the TV. After the teen sends those texts to her uncle begging for help, police close in. The TV star confesses.
Bombshell tonight. After the trial judge bans the teen rape victim, the 10th grade girl, from speaking out in court, the multi-millionaire "Dancing With the Stars" phenom, the TV superstar, gets straight probation. That`s right, you heard me, not one day of jail time for statutory rape of a 10th grade girl who was beaten and drugged into sex with a 52-year-old man who, quote, "wanted to order up a skinny Spanish girl."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lawrence Taylor was sentenced by New York supreme court justice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lawrence Taylor was charged with rape in the third degree.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Criminal sexual act in the third degree, sexual abuse in the third degree.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lawrence Taylor has been added to a list, that of a registered sex offender.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The investigation indicates Mr. Taylor engaged in sexual intercourse with a child less than 17.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My client did not have sex with anybody. No. Period. Amen. That enough?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was a terrified young girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As part of the plea deal, Lawrence Taylor avoids jail time but gets six years probation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was coerced to go there. She did not want to go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no violence. There`s no force. There`s no threats. There`s no weapon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He didn`t rape anyone. He didn`t have sex with anyone. The girl was in the room because she let herself inside of the room.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Oh, and that was Lawrence Taylor`s wife speaking about how the girl was having hard times and her husband kindly gave the 10th grade girl $300. Well, he pled guilty in court today, Mrs. Lawrence Taylor! But he got straight probation, thanks to a trial judge that refused, banned the little girl from speaking in court.
Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. The "Dancing With the Stars" phenom, Lawrence Taylor, stuns his fans on the dance floor with all of his moves, but police say he had a pimp deliver a teenage girl to his room like she`s a pizza! Then the star attacks the girl sexually. The trial judge today, in the last hours, bans the girl -- the rape victim -- from speaking in court. Bans her! The multi-millionaire "Dancing With the Stars" phenom, the TV superstar, the sports icon, Lawrence Taylor, gets straight probation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Both the victim and I feel that it is very unfair that Mr. Taylor is only receiving probation for his crime.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lawrence Taylor, you can run, but you can`t hide.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She had a swollen eye. I think it was obvious that she had been battered.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like, they made it seem like he went up on the schoolyard and snatched some girl off with pigtails, drug her back to his room and beat her and raped her and stuff. And I`m, like, Oh, no, this is not true at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was 16. She claims you should have known it. Did you?
LAWRENCE TAYLOR, ACCUSED OF RAPE: No. That`s not my MO. I`ve been - - you know, I`ve been around kids and people all my life. Sometimes I make mistakes, and I may go out there, but I didn`t pick her up in no daggone playground. I`m not a violent person. I don`t get down like that. She may have gotten beaten -- got beaten later because she didn`t come in that room like that.
C.F., VICTIM: I am very upset about what Mr. Taylor did to me. I never wanted to go to his hotel room. Rasheed ordered me to go to there and have sex for money. When I -- when I refused, Rasheed beat me. Rasheed punched me, punched me in my face. He made my nose bleed and gave me a black eye. He hit me so -- he hit me so hard, my eyes were swollen. He also stomped and kicked me. Then Rasheed forced me to take off my bluejeans and put on a dress. He then made me get into his car and go to the hotel. I was very frightened and didn`t know who I would meet in the hotel room or what person would be there -- I mean, what person there would do to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: You are just seeing not only the little girl -- Carmen is the name that we know her by -- but earlier, you saw Taylor on Fox News today just moments after he walked free with no jail time in a sweetheart plea deal. And it`s not just him. The prosecutor allowed it. The judge allowed it. Everybody stood by and let this happen! Then -- give me the transcript of what he said on Fox, Elizabeth.
Straight out to Catherine Cioffi, reporter with WCBS radio, in court today. Catherine, tell me what happened in court. I don`t understand why this judge did not allow the girl to speak. It was no skin off his back. And yes, Catherine, I know the law in New York says that in a felony, the victim has a right to speak in court. But there is nothing, to my understanding -- there you go, Judge William Kelly! That`s a nice Hollywood smile he`s got going on there. But it`s my understanding that there`s nothing in the law, Catherine Cioffi, that says a misdemeanor crime victim is banned from speaking in court.
CATHERINE CIOFFI, WCBS RADIO: Well, it all happened very quickly today in court. The victim was there with her attorney. She made the comment that the victim would like to give a victim impact statement, and the judge quickly decided that that wasn`t going to happen. The judge felt that because these were misdemeanor charges that Lawrence Taylor was pleading guilty to, that it wasn`t appropriate. He also brought out the point that the defense attorney hadn`t been notified 10 days prior.
GRACE: Ho! Ho! Ho! Whoa! Whoa! Hold on! With me, Catherine Cioffi, in court today. The judge said it wasn`t appropriate for the girl to speak? Did he say that?
CIOFFI: Those words were -- as I said, this all happened very quickly. And the judge felt that because these were misdemeanor charges that he was pleading guilty to...
GRACE: OK.
CIOFFI: ... that it wasn`t -- it wasn`t the time and the place today.
GRACE: Let me ask you, did you hear him say the words "it`s not appropriate"?
CIOFFI: No. No. He did not say...
GRACE: Did you hear him say...
CIOFFI: ... those exact words.
GRACE: ... "It`s not the time and the place"?
CIOFFI: As I said, it all happened very quickly. It only...
GRACE: He just denied it quickly. OK. You know, what is appropriate about this? You got a 10th-grade girl who was beaten. Now, she says she`s not a hooker. I believe her. You know why? Because if she is a hooker, why did they have to beat her and drug her on ecstasy to get her to have sex with a 52-year-old man? If this is what she did day in and day out, why did they have to beat her? I mean, the cops get the girl within, like, an hour-and-a-half after the incident. She has a huge black eye. She`s been bleeding from her mouth. Long story short, so what`s appropriate about this case? And so this judge doesn`t think it`s appropriate to hear from the victim?
You`re seeing Lawrence Taylor from ABC`s "Dancing With the Stars," and there`s his rape victim speaking the only place she could, on the courthouse steps. She was banned from speaking in court. Catherine, go ahead, please, dear.
CIOFFI: Well, outside of court, the victim did get her chance to speak, and she spoke at length about how upset she was with the judge`s decision, with the sentence that Lawrence Taylor received today. She feels that she is the victim in this case. She repeated over and over that she`s not a prostitute, that that was the first time she had ever engaged in that type of activity. And she said that she felt that Taylor should be in jail for what he did to her. She said every day, she has to get up and look at herself in the mirror and know what occurred that night. She said she is hurting and she has anxiety and this is something that she`s working to get over.
GRACE: I am reading from what -- now, he doesn`t know when to shut up because after he walks out of the courtroom, he appears, he talks on Fox News Channel. And this is what he says. This is the insight into Lawrence Taylor`s mind. We are taking your calls live.
Listen to this. "I know I make mistakes sometimes, and I may go out there. I did not pick her up in no damn playground. She was not hiding behind a school bus, so getting off the school bus. This was a working girl that came to my room. And I don`t know what her age was. I asked her age. She told me 19. But it`s what it is. I don`t really worry about that. My beef is not with her. My beef is not with the media, you know, but I take my punishment like I should."
There`s no punishment! What punishment? What punishment is he getting?
To our Ellie Jostad, our chief editorial producer. Ellie, this was first charged as a third degree rape, which is the equivalent in New York of statutory rape. The age of consent in New York is 17. She was 16 at the time. She would have been a 10th grader in high school, all right? She had a huge, honking black eye. She had been bleeding from the mouth when the cops get there. He admits he had sex with her! I don`t understand a straight probation plea.
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: That`s right, Nancy. He`s going to get six months probation. He will have to register as a sex offender, but we don`t know what level yet. It`s possible, if he`s registered a level one sex offender, which his attorney says he`s going to argue for, that he would only have to check in with law enforcement once a year. His name wouldn`t show up on any public sex offender registry. You`d actually have to call the police in that jurisdiction to find out he`s even a sex offender.
GRACE: And that`s just the tip of the iceberg. Alexis Tereszcuk joining us from Radaronline.com. He goes on to say even more on Fox today, does he not.
ALEXIS TERESZCUK, RADARONLINE.COM: He does. He talks about how -- he actually talks about his about, how he`s actually ordered prostitutes before. And he just never thought that he would get caught for this crime. He doesn`t have any regret about any of this at all. He has no remorse. He just says that he didn`t even think that it was a big deal.
GRACE: You know what, Alexis? You`re absolutely right. Let`s take a listen to what LT had to say after court today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR: Sometimes I look for some company. And you know what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you don`t mind paying for that?
TAYLOR: I don`t because then it`s -- then it`s -- it`s all clean. I don`t have to worry about your feelings (INAUDIBLE) worry about -- it`s all clean, you know? They do -- you know, I`m not saying it`s right. I`m not saying it`s right. But (INAUDIBLE) it`s the oldest profession in the world, you know, and it happens. And you -- and guys (ph) -- I mean, if you want to stop prostitution, what are you going to do? You going to close down every go-go bar in America?
I have used the services before, you know? And I guess you -- it`s one of those -- I guess you`d call it crimes -- one of those crimes that you never think about, that you never think you`re going to get -- you`re going to get busted because everybody does it, you know, until you get busted. And then it`s, like -- then it`s just -- it`s more embarrassing than anything else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have a son who`s how old?
TAYLOR: He`s 5.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you tell him later?
TAYLOR: It`s all part of the history. You know, it`s all part of what makes me who I am. So I mean, I don`t run from it. I can`t run from it. But you know what? He`ll be a better man for it. At least he`ll know, you know, some of the pitfalls you can fall into because that`s -- I`m going to tell you something, that`s one of the pitfalls you can fall into, you know, women, drugs, whatever. You can fall into...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Learn a lesson! Learn a lesson! Four years ago, he goes on "60 Minutes" and says he uses hookers six times a day! And today, Judge William A. Kelly gives him straight probation. That was him on Fox. And here he is, "Dancing With the Stars."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lawrence Taylor has been added to another list, a registered sex offender.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is absolutely inexplicable here!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whatever she did, she did as a victim.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was old enough to, if she wanted to get help, get help. Why did it have to be a rich guy before she decided, Oh, I don`t want this anymore?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: The "Dancing With the Stars" phenom, Lawrence Taylor -- police say he ordered up a 16-year-old teenager like she`s a pizza, sexually molested her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When the rape kit was done on her, she had evidence of assault.
GRACE: Then had a good night`s sleep until cops finally show up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The police department filed the charges of rape. They are saying, in essence, that he admitted to having sexual intercourse with this minor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He denies the allegations against him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He didn`t have a consensual -- he did not have consensual sex with anyone!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taylor paid her 300 bucks.
GRACE: He`s right! There was not a consensual sex act because a 16- year-old girl cannot consent to sex.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Major developments for a dancing superstar accused of rape.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Taylor avoids jail time and gets six years probation and has to pay a fine.
GRACE: According to police, he raped the teenage girl. Now he`s walking free tonight?
TAYLOR: I`ve been around kids and people all my life, you know? I`m not the cause of prostitution. And sometimes I make mistakes and I may go out there. But I didn`t pick her up in no daggone playground. She wasn`t hiding behind the school bus or getting off a school bus. This is a working girl that came to my -- came to my room. And I don`t know what her age was. I asked her age. She told me she was 19.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Way to go, Shepard Smith. I -- you showed such great restraint not strangling him, giving him a little finger necklace right there on Fox! That`s LT, Lawrence Taylor, on Fox News today with Shepard Smith just moments after he walks with no jail time. And it was the perfect storm of wrong. You got the prosecutor allowing the plea, the judge allowing the plea, not letting the victim speak in court.
Out to the lines. Sue in New Jersey. Hi, Sue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. How are you?
GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don`t understand the whole justice system. There`s a 15-year-old girl that`s been assaulted. He obviously thought she looked young. He asked her age. He didn`t have willing sex with her. He beat her up. And she`s not allowed to speak in defense of herself. I have a 3-and-a-half-year-old (SIC) granddaughter that I`m going through the same thing right now, and they haven`t even talked to the person who is accused of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The investigation indicates that Mr. Taylor engaged in sexual intercourse with a child less than 17.
GRACE: I also know Lawrence Taylor from "Dancing With the Stars," admits he paid the girl $300.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Had originally been indicted on charges of...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rape in the third degree.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you have sex with a 16-year-old girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then gave her $300.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s called statutory rape.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If this wasn`t Lawrence Taylor, this wouldn`t even be a big deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Taylor agreed to plead guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He didn`t rape anyone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is and was a crime victim.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Part of the plea deal, Taylor avoids jail time but gets six years probation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has to pay a $2,000 fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: I am reading from the Covenant House. It says Giants superstar Lawrence Taylor gets (INAUDIBLE) prostitute. The charges stem from what law enforcement say is statutory rape. A baby-faced girl, Carmen. Taylor, 6-3, 230 pounds, had been looking for a, quote, "skinny Spanish girl." Carmen`s alleged pimp set him up with her at a motel in Montebello. Davis, according to court papers, gave the girl marijuana and ecstasy before making her have sex with men he found on line, he had to beat her into submission before she would go into the Holiday Inn.
Unleash the lawyers, Robin Sax, former prosecutor, L.A., Raymond Giudice, defense attorney, Atlanta, Alex Sanchez, defense attorney, New York. So Giudice, if she`s a hooker, like your client says, then why`d they have to beat her in the face to get her to go in the room?
RAYMOND GIUDICE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I do believe the evidence was that the pimp beat her and that Lawrence -- there was no evidence that Lawrence Taylor struck her, but...
GRACE: That`s right. That`s what I just said.
GIUDICE: OK.
GRACE: If she`s not a hooker, why did they have to beat her in the face to make her go into the room where Taylor was waiting?
GIUDICE: Well, unfortunately, the relationship between pimps and hookers is very violent. We all know that. That`s part of that culture. It`s wrong. It`s illegal. The evidence was there that the pimp did it. And that`s why Taylor...
GRACE: That`s not my question!
GIUDICE: ... got such a good deal. He`s going to testify in federal court in the trafficking case of human slavery against the pimp. And that`s the bottom line why he got such a good deal, Nancy.
GRACE: I`m going to repeat my question, Alex Sanchez. I think Mr. Giudice needs one of those procedures where they flush your ear out so you can actually hear. Sanchez, if she were a prostitute and not just a 10th- grade girl, why did they have to beat the hell out of her to get her to go in the room?
ALEX SANCHEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, you know, who is "they"? You know, the problem is, Nancy...
GRACE: The pimp.
SANCHEZ: ... is that you are blending the actions of Taylor with the actions of the pimp.
GRACE: No! I`m saying the pimp...
SANCHEZ: And that`s very unfair...
GRACE: ... had to beat her...
SANCHEZ: ... because...
GRACE: ... to make her go in the room. OK, Robin Sax...
SANCHEZ: Yes, but Taylor is not responsible...
GRACE: ... let me try you.
SANCHEZ: Taylor`s not responsible...
GRACE: Why, if she were a hooker...
SANCHEZ: ... for the actions of the pimp.
GRACE: That`s not what I asked you, Alex!
SANCHEZ: And there`s a very...
GRACE: Cut his mike! Robin, please answer.
ROBIN SAX, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Well, first of all, she can`t be a prostitute. Kids can only be prostituted. It cannot be a job. And they were acting in concert as part of this human trafficking. They beat her up to rape her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA ALLRED, VICTIM`S RIGHTS ATTORNEY, CHILD ADVOCATE: Thank you for coming today.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: NFL Hall of Famer --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Lawrence Taylor.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lawrence Taylor isn`t here right now.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Unleash the lawyers.
ALLRED: Defendant Taylor, a former NFL Hall of Fame football player.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ve come to know him on a very personal level.
ALLRED: Had originally been indicted on charges of rape in the third degree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need to just to clear Lawrence`s name.
ALLRED: Criminal sexual act in the third degree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did Mr. Taylor solicit a prostitute?
ALLRED: Sexual abuse in the third degree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he patronize a prostitute?
ALLRED: Endangering the welfare of a child.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely.
ALLRED: Sentence that he received for those crimes.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Lawrence Taylor has been added to a list as a registered sex offender.
ALLRED: I feel that it is very unfair.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Taylor avoids jail time, but gets six-years probation.
ALLRED: Lawrence Taylor should be in the hall of shame.
C.F., LAWRENCE TAYLOR`S VICTIM: I never had sex for money. I never wanted to do it. When I entered the hotel room, my hair was in a ponytail and I had no make up on. There was somebody in the room and I believe that Mr. Taylor could see my face and my swollen eye and how young I looked.
I also told him that this was my first time and I was nervous and I didn`t feel comfortable. But all he said was relax. I did -- I did what he told me to do because I was afraid what would happen if I did not. I was afraid that I would be beaten again if I refused.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls. Back to Sue in New Jersey.
Sue, what was your question, dear?
SUE, CALLER FROM NEW JERSEY: I want to know why the girl wasn`t able to speak for herself.
GRACE: Good question.
To Catherine Cioffi, you said it was quick and the judge, William A. Kelly, really didn`t give any reasoning about why he did not let her speak.
CATHERINE CIOFFI, REPORTER, WCBS: Yes. It all happened very quickly in court. Court today was a little bit rushed. It got started late and there was a jury coming in. And so everything happened quickly.
When this came up, the reason that she wasn`t allowed to give her statements was because Lawrence Taylor has pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, not felonies, and also because the defense attorney had been notified 10 days prior to this court date that the victim would be giving a victim impact statement.
GRACE: To Marc Klaas, president and founder of KlaasKids Foundation. You know the law says that you have a right to speak in court if it`s a felony. Not that you are banned from speaking in court if the judge and the prosecutor and the defense agree to reduce it down to a slap on the wrist misdemeanor.
That doesn`t preclude the victim from speaking. The judge could have allowed it. And as Catharine Cioffi stated, it was really quick, it was so fast. That`s the way they wanted it.
MARC KLAAS, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, KLAASKIDS FOUNDATION: Yes.
GRACE: They wanted it wham, bam, thank you, ma`am. Get out of there, in, out. Was not a lot of fanfare. They should all be ashamed.
Everybody, this is -- you`re watching the video of Taylor on ABC`s "Dancing with the Stars."
Go ahead, Marc.
KLAAS: Well, yes, in fact they should be ashamed. And if it weren`t for you, there probably wouldn`t be very much coverage of this case. The judge has discretion to allow that young victim to speak. And he didn`t do it. What this does, Nancy, is it demonstrates the double standard that we have for justice in the United States where the rich and famous are judged on one standard and the rest of us are judged on another.
It`s also a classic case of human trafficking. That girl was under 18. She was being forced to have sex. On one side she had a brutal pimp who had an extensive criminal history. On the other side is the hardest hitter in the history of the NFL. And in the middle is a little 16-year- old girl who can`t win for losing in this situation.
I believe that Lawrence Taylor needs to spend a lot of time in prison. But here`s the deal. Although he may be a level-one sex offender in New York and not have to appear on the public registry, he actually lives in the state of Florida. And I checked with the authorities there today. They don`t tier it in Florida.
If you are on the sex offender registry in any other state, and you live in Florida, you register for their registry and you go public. Everybody will be able to see the shame of Lawrence Taylor. And it`s great and deep shame indeed.
GRACE: Speaking of him living in Florida, you are absolutely correct, Marc Klaas.
Let`s see that spread he`s got down there, Liz.
Because it ain`t over yet, LT. No, honey, what you don`t want to see is Gloria Allred down there poking through the files of your property. Look at that thing. Oh, yes. I predict a big fat civil lawsuit coming his way.
And there is his wife up on TV saying he just loaned the girl $300 because she was down on her luck.
Out to Laura Dunn, a special guest joining us tonight from Chicago. Rape survivor.
Laura Dunn, I`m sure you`ve read all the headlines about Taylor getting straight probably today. I`d like to hear your thoughts as a rape survivor.
LAURA DUNN, RAPE SURVIVOR AND VICTIMS RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Well, first off, thank you for having me on the show. I mean seeing those headlines, I`m unfortunately not surprised. A lot of victims who do come forward still don`t get justice.
There is a huge problem in the society already with victims staying in silent. And to see the few that do speak out get so little for their time, their efforts, their pain. It`s very infuriating and frustrating.
GRACE: After your rape, what did you go through trying to get back on your feet?
DUNN: At first, I didn`t report my rape right away. I was -- it was too much more me. I did not know how to define it. And it took some time. And by the time I decided I really wanted to come forward, I thought it was too late. So at the time, I actually did get the encouragement and get that final push to share my story.
I faced a lot of battles. I mean there is issues at every level. And since I was at a university there was a lot of hoops and different procedures. And they just kind of waited out and made sure that my case never saw justice.
GRACE: We are hearing from Laura Dunn, rape survivor and victims` rights advocate joining us out of Chicago.
To CW Jensen, retired Portland Police captain, joining us tonight out of Oregon.
You know, CW, trying to paint this in any other fashion other than a statutory rape felony is wrong.
CW JENSEN, RETIRED PORTLAND POLICE CAPTAIN: Nancy, I have arrested prostitutes. I have arrested Johns. There is no little girl in America that wants to grow up and be a prostitute. You are forced into it and this is just obnoxious and wrong that this individual did this to this little girl.
It is wrong. And the way that they had dusted this off it just shows how wrong it is in our country. And we don`t see that these girls are victims.
GRACE: And you know, another thing, to Dr. Leslie Austin, psychotherapist in New York. It`s not just Lawrence Taylor here that I hold accountable. It`s the prosecutor. It`s the judge. I mean the defense attorney is paid to pull stunts like this. And to say he wants to clear -- clear Lawrence Taylor`s name.
I mean, hold on, Liz, pull me that stock out of "60 Minutes" where he`s stalking about six hookers a day, 2,000 bucks a day, I think, he spent on hookers. How he`s learned his lesson. Yes, that was about four years ago.
But all of these players are in consort. Leslie, take a listen to this before you answer, Leslie. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said if you weren`t an addict or a dealer or a hooker, I did not want to know you.
LAWRENCE TAYLOR, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now you were spending about 1,000 bucks a day.
TAYLOR: Yes. Easy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On escort services. Six women a day. Often. $1,000 a day on cocaine.
TAYLOR: Yes. It was a hell of an expensive party a day. That party never ended.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That was Taylor on CBS`s "60 Minutes." And he goes on to talk about his six -- at least six hookers a day habit.
To Dr. Marty Makary, physician and professor of public health at Johns Hopkins, joining us tonight out of Maryland.
Dr. Marty, thank you for being with us. You know every doctor has to do their rounds through the ER as they are getting their medical degree. You know rape victims are changed forever.
Yes, they can get well. They can go back to work or back to school. But they`re changed forever, Dr. Marty Makary.
DR. MARTY MAKARY, PHYSICIAN, PROF. OF PUBLIC HEALTH, JOHNS HOPKINS: You know and it`s important for rape victims to be able to talk about what just happened. And when somebody is not allowed to talk, it does have a certain psychological trauma.
You know the first thing we think about when we see somebody in the emergency room is HIV tests, pregnancy test, Hepatitis C test. We have a standard kit called a sexual assaults forensic evidence kit or a safe kit or a rape kit. And we go through certain steps collecting swabs, particles, fragments, hairs, you know, basically fluid from every body orifice.
But it`s not a satisfying process for those people that want to seek justice. And overall, it`s a very frustrating, long drawn-out process.
GRACE: Everyone, as we go to break, I want to remind you that you have the opportunity to help Japan by donating to UMCOR.org.
Now last night I asked weatherman Bernie Rayno why a state of emergency has been declared in California. At no time was it stated that it was declared because of radiation. That is was declared because of a tsunami. But concerns lingering about radiation in food and air. The California state of emergency is still in effect due to the tsunami.
Again, Red Cross, UMCOR. Please give.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lawrence Taylor.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: NFL Hall of Famer.
GRACE: The "Dancing with the Stars" celebrity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Charged with rape in the third degree.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Pleaded guilty to paying the 16-year-old runaway for sex.
LYNETTE TAYLOR, LAWRENCE TAYLOR`S WIFE: Is he guilty? No. That`s not true.
ALLRED: She was coerced to go there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did not have consensual sex with anybody.
GRACE: A 16-year-old girl cannot consent to sex.
ALLRED: She did not want to go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lawrence Taylor did not rape anybody.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: As part of the plea deal, Taylor avoids jail time. But gets six-years probation.
ALLRED: It is unfair that Mr. Taylor is only receiving probation for his crime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rape in the third degree.
GRACE: A rape.
JEAN CASAREZ, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": Called statutory rape.
ALLRED: Rape in the third degree.
L. TAYLOR: He didn`t rape anyone. He did not have sex with anyone. If everyone is believing what this victim said, the police just took what she said and just before you do an investigation, went and arrested Lawrence. OK? Because they believed her and they found her to be credible.
Then why couldn`t he believe her if she told him that she was 19. So I don`t understand why -- if she`s so --
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Why is his wife continuing to say all of this? And on TV?
Lady, he pled guilty. He ordered a prostitute and he had sex with her. In fact, he goes so far to state, according to Covenant House, that he was looking for a, quote, "skinny Spanish girl." Well, he got a tenth- grade girl with a big black eye and a bloody nose. But he managed to somehow have sex, rape her anyway. I`m not even going to say have sex in the same breath as a tenth-grade 16-year-old girl.
So, Miss Taylor, look, I don`t want to pick on you, but you asked for it by going on television and bad mouthing, trashing this little girl. This 16-year-old rape victim. You sit back and you enjoy that New York mansion you`ve got and that Florida mansion you`ve got. But your husband orders up hookers.
Not judging. OK. But this time it was a felony.
Back to you Leslie Austin, psychotherapist. I tried to go to you before and I want to see that "60 Minute" soundbite. But it`s not just Taylor. The judge agreed to it. William A. Kelly.
You know what? Everybody will not pay attention. They`ll go ahead and elect him again. The judge agreed to it. The prosecutor agreed to it. They tried to rush this thing through the courtroom so nobody would notice, but Catharine Cioffi was there from WCBS.
That`s right, Judge, keep on smiling. All because he`s a big star.
DR. LESLIE AUSTIN, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Nancy, there are two really important things here. Thank you for coming back to me.
First, you are giving her the opportunity to speak up. And that`s really important. So you`re providing an enormous healing service for her and you`re also talking about justice.
Nobody is holding Taylor accountable for having no sense of conscience, no sense of right and wrong, no sense of ethics and no sense of humanity for another human being. He is doing something illegal and he`s arguing about well, I didn`t get her in a playground. Prostitution is illegal.
GRACE: Wait a minute. Did I just see Lawrence Taylor`s wife going in and out of court in a long mink coat?
Is that a mink coat, Liz? I mean not that that`s a crime or anything. I`m just observing.
Yes, OK. Out to the lines, Barbara in New York. Hi, Barbara.
BARBARA, CALLER FROM NEW YORK: Hello, earth angel. How are you?
GRACE: Thank you. I really don`t deserve that.
BARBARA: Yes, you do.
GRACE: There`s going to be a lot of people even more mad at me now.
BARBARA: No. No. You definitely deserve it.
GRACE: Bless you. What`s your question, love?
BARBARA: This is disgusting of course from Taylor --
GRACE: It`s disgusting.
BARBARA: -- down to the judge to the prosecutor. And we know Gloria Allred is going to clean out his pockets. But this is what really makes me so, so, sick. What kind of mother defends a man like Lawrence Taylor when they have a young 5-year-old child together? What kind of role model is this man?
GRACE: You know what? I had asked for a photo of his family. I don`t know if we can find one or not. But you are right.
Alexis Tereszcuk, doesn`t he have two daughters?
ALEXIS TERESZCUK, REPORTER, RADAROLINE.COM: He does, Nancy. And you would think that somebody with daughters would never do this. And he would recognize what their friends look like when they were as young as this girl. It`s outrageous. And you know he actually is getting even more special treatment --
GRACE: Yes, Liz.
Hold on, Alexis, don`t show a picture of his little girls. Don`t show it.
Go ahead, Alexis.
TERESZCUK: He`s getting more special treatment than we spoke about. He`s actually -- most sex offenders are not allowed within a school or a park. But he -- because he has a little child, he`s going to be allowed to go to that child`s school. He can go to the park. It`s just -- it never ends with the special treatment that this guy receives.
GRACE: You know, Alexis Tereszcuk, thank you for bringing that up. I got a big note right in front of me. They even bent the rules on the conditions -- not only they gave him probation, but they bent the rules on the conditions of his probation.
Alexis, you`re absolutely correct.
Again, Ellie Jostad, tell me about the conditions they put on his probation? This is a registered sex offender. Go ahead.
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE CHIEF EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Right. Well, unlike most sex offenders, he will be able to take his young son to places where children congregate like parks, playgrounds, that kind of thing.
Also, instead of the usual 11:00 p.m. curfew, his attorney asked for and got a 1:00 a.m. curfew for Lawrence Taylor. He is also going to be able to continue to do charity work where he routinely comes into contact with young kids. And he did have --
GRACE: I hope none of them are skinny Spanish girls. That`s all I can say. Go ahead.
JOSTAD: Yes. But some of the other conditions that were imposed, he`s barred from going to pornography stores, he`s barred from going to strip clubs. He can`t buy any weapons.
GRACE: Bo-hoo. Now isn`t it true that his defense lawyer tried to get the judge to -- to allow him to drink as well?
JOSTAD: Well, he wanted to remove some provisions -- you`re right -- that require him, A, to stay away from alcohol, to get therapy. But the judge left that up in the air. He said that`s going to be up to the probation officials in Florida to decide.
GRACE: Wait. Wait. Wait. So the judge won`t even bring down the hammer on Taylor boozing it up? He wouldn`t even enforce therapy?
Everybody, there you see "Dancing with the Stars" Taylor, again, on ABC.
Go ahead, Ellie.
JOSTAD: Yes, right. TMZ is reporting that the judge just left that up to the Florida officials to decide because he is going to serve his probation in Florida where he has a house.
GRACE: Is that correct, Alexis Tereszcuk?
TERESZCUK: Yes. She`s absolutely right. And you know the thing is in Florida, who knows if anybody can even -- if Gloria even could get any money out of this guy in Florida. He`s gotten away scot-free with everything.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Taylor pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Powerful people have a way of getting out of things better than anybody else because they`re rich and they are famous.
ALLRED: We do not buy his excuses or justifications for his acts of sexual misconduct against his victim.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: She shows up at the "Dancing with the Stars" celebrity hotel room with a black eye, her face swollen.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. Taylor, through the district attorney`s office, offers to pay for any kind of therapy, any kind of schooling, any kind of rehabilitation she needed to help her.
ALLRED: She only agreed to go to Mr. Taylor`s room because she was afraid that if she continued to refuse to go, that she would receive yet another beating.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls.
And, Ellie, you`re right. Alexis Tereszcuk hit it the nail on the head. In Florida they`ve got the homestead law. You can`t get anybody`s house. That`s why O.J. Simpson lived there for so long.
Pat in New York. Hi, Pat.
PAT, CALLER FROM NEW YORK: Hi, Nancy. I`d like to make a comment first as far as --
GRACE: OK.
PAT: As far as his wife. She`s just staying with him for the money, I think, either that or she`s a total idiot. I`d like to know if -- as far as the civil suit with him, can anything be done with the judge and the prosecutor?
GRACE: Good question. What about it, Raymond Giudice?
RAY GIUDICE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, as you pointed out, Nancy, they both stand for re-election probably every four years and the voter of that jurisdiction will have the opportunity to -- opine as to whether they should be reelected. This may be great judge, great prosecutor, who got beat by a good defense lawyer in this case.
GRACE: Yes, I don`t think so.
Everyone, another travesty of justice today in a New York courtroom. He was charged with statutory rape on a child. He got straight probation because he`s a star.
Let`s stop and remember Army Sgt. Jeremiah Boehmer, 22, Parkston, South Dakota, killed Iraq. Second tour, awarded Bronze Star, Purple Heart. Served Afghanistan. Lost his life on his mom`s birthday. Nickname "Flame."
Loved video games, WWF, music, fishing, leaves behind parents Jim and Jo, brothers Jason and James, sisters Jessica and Jamie.
Jeremiah Boehmer, American hero.
Thanks to our guests but especially to you, and a special good night from Georgia friends Carl and Christina. Now aren`t they a beautiful couple?
Guys, don`t screw it up now. You`re looking good.
Happy 14th birthday to Mary Michael, aka superstar. Loves hanging out with her friends, shopping and volunteering at her church, North Star Baptist.
Happy birthday, dear.
Happy birthday to Georgia friend, George from Ghana. Loves his wife, his daughters and his church.
Everybody, I`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
END
