GRL Law takes the defense of our clients seriously. We take the defense of clients who are falsely accused of crimes personally. There is simply no place in the criminal justice system for the exploitation of the press and political pressure to prosecute personal vendettas.
Recently, the Des Moines Register published a story about a client of GRL Law, Troy Griffin, who was found NOT GUILTY of all accusations made against him by his now ex-wife and advocate for Marcy’s Law, Gina Battani. In a charged political climate, Gina Battani, with the help of a reporter from the Des Moines Register, went public with her sexual abuse allegations, even before formal charges were filed. That same reporter, Kathy Bolten, was present during the entirety of trial, along with a cameraman who had previously obtained Gina Battani’s explicit permission to film and photograph her throughout trial. (Iowa law prohibits the photographing of filming of sexual assault complainants without their explicit consent). In fact, as the article demonstrated, the reporter was documenting Gina Battani’s experience behind the scenes, as trial progressed.
The Register article told the story from the side of Gina Battani, ignoring many of the most important facts which supported the defense and ultimately the jury’s verdict of NOT GUILTY. Sexual abuse allegations are accusations that are easy to make but impossible to directly disprove. This is especially true when consensual sex is an inherent issue in the case. The following are five of the most significant facts, proven during the public trial of Troy Griffin that support his claim of innocence and the jury’s verdict of NOT GUILTY.
- Factual Impossibilities – Gina Battani claimed (and still claims) she was forcibly raped, every day, for eight consecutive months. For an entire month during that time period, Troy was hospitalized, out-of-state for stem cell treatment of his Stage-4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
- During this time, Gina Battani created a Go Fund Me Account asking for monetary donations that were deposited into her individual bank account.
- No Mother Would Do That – Gina Battani fought for more custody of her two young children from her prior marriage during the time she claims she was being forcibly raped, every day, for eight consecutive months.
- Ponder that for a moment. Gina Battani went to court, raised her right hand, and testified under oath that her young children, one of which is a young girl, should reside with and sleep in the bedroom next to the man she claimed was repeatedly, forcibly raping her on a daily basis.
- Part of Gina Battani’s sworn testimony in that proceeding was as follows:
- The “behavior” being referenced in the question was domestic abuse.
- Cell Phone Shenanigans – Gina Battani testified at trial that she was mid-act of being forcibly raped on a date and time when cell phone forensics proved she was checking her email and using the internet on her cell phone at that precise time.
- Cell phone forensics also showed that Gina Battani conducted thirteen separate internet searches related to survival rates of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Troy’s cancer) just weeks prior to making the allegations against Troy to law enforcement.
- The Set Up – When Gina Battani initially reported her claim of sexual abuse at the Clive Police Department, she declined to submit to a sexual assault examination despite law enforcement’s encouragement to do so. At the close of the interview, Gina Battani was told not to go home given the nature of her allegations. She agreed and informed law enforcement that she had a safe place to stay. Gina Battani went home anyway and claimed she was raped while “meditating” in the shower the next morning. Gina Battani immediately went in for a sexual assault examination that same morning.
- Ruby the Dog – In an attempt to explain why she went home the night she left Clive Police Department after accusing Troy of forcibly raping her on a daily basis, Gina Battani testified that she needed to go home because her dog Ruby was at home and she was afraid Troy would harm little Ruby.
- THE INTERVIEWING POLICE OFFICER’S BODY CAMERA RECORDING CLEARLY SHOWED RUBY THE DOG LAYING IN HER LAP DURING THE INTERVIEW WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT!
Sexual abuse is a significant social issue that deserves serious and substantive attention. It goes unnoticed and unreported much too often. This pattern certainly needs to change. As you read this there are thousands of individuals struggling to make it from victim to survivor status. As a community, we must reach out to them and assist in any way possible. Accountability must be placed on those who commit such heinous offenses.
On the other-hand, false accusations undermine the suffering that survivors endure and create unwarranted and unnecessary skepticism toward legitimate reports. They further consume valuable resources that are already stretched too thin, inhibiting investigation and prosecutions of legitimate offenses. They weaken a system that is in desperate need of fortification.
GRL Law’s goal of this article is not to fan a fire of skepticism toward survivors of sexual abuse. The purpose of this article is to continue zealously defending our client by responding to a biased and incomplete media account. It is concerning that even after a jury found a man NOT GUILTY, a media outlet and advocate reporter, proceeded to unnecessarily publicize the accusations simply to further a pre-meditated agenda. We may not have the reaching voice of a media outlet to assist us in broadcasting this to the masses, but at GRL Law we will always do everything within our capability to set a jaded record straight.
