Ann Arbor Criminal Defense Blog
We recently won a Not Guilty verdict in a jury trial in East Lansing.
Our Client was unfairly charged with assault and battery following a domestic dispute.
During the dispute, our client was pushed and she protected herself by punching the person back. When the cops came, however, she was the one charged with a crime. The client was shocked she had even been charged with a crime.
The Prosecution repeatedly offered a plea bargain that would make the case disappear if our client plead guilty. The client declined these offers without discussion – she was innocent and would assert her innocence in front of a jury
Read More: Jury Trial win in Plymouth.
Often in these domestic dispute situations, the cops take the side of whoever is the person who called them, even when that should not be the case.
To the police officer’s credit, he seemed to take our side in the middle of the trial when he realized what had really happened in the dispute.
Under the law, a person has the right to self-defense in certain circumstances. The person must honestly and reasonably believe that self-defense was necessary, and not have been in the wrong when utilizing self-defense.
That is exactly what happened to our client in this situation. She only used force when she was attacked. She did nothing to deserve being pushed. We urged the jury to see the situation from her perspective, to put themselves in her shoes.
The jury did just that. The jury deliberated for a half hour before delivering a Not Guilty verdict to a deserving client.
Read More: Domestic Assault Jury Trial Win in Woodhaven
Get in Touch
Call Sam Bernstein at 734-883-9584 or e-mail at bernstein@arborypsilaw.com
ArborYpsi Law is located at 2750 Carpenter Rd #2, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
We can represent you in Courts in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Plymouth, and throughout metro Detroit.