Dallas Sexual Assault LawyersBoard Certified Criminal Defense

In adult cases, the State must prove the act happened without consent. Texts, messages, witness accounts, and the timeline before and after the encounter often tell a very different story than the allegation. We build that record before the State locks in its narrative.

False allegations happen more often than people want to believe, and the motivations are familiar: custody fights, divorces, breakups, revenge, and mental health crises. We investigate the accuser's motive, prior statements, and the circumstances of the outcry, and we expose the inconsistencies in front of the grand jury or the jury.

In child cases, the forensic interview is the State's foundation. Suggestive questioning, coaching by an adult in the child's life, and interviews that ignore alternative explanations can all shape a child's account. Our attorneys include former prosecutors who used these interviews to build cases. Now we take them apart.

SANE examinations, DNA mixtures, and medical findings are not as conclusive as the State presents them. DNA can be explained by innocent contact or contamination, and medical findings often have non-abusive explanations. We work with independent experts to test whether the physical evidence actually supports the allegation or simply fails to rule anything out.

Unlawful searches of phones and devices, Miranda violations, and coerced statements can be suppressed, sometimes leaving the State unable to proceed. We scrutinize how every piece of evidence was obtained.

In statutory cases, Texas recognizes an affirmative defense when the accused is not more than three years older than a willing partner who is at least 14, and other conditions are met. Close-in-age, lawful-spouse, and medical-care defenses can apply in the right cases. Note that Texas has no mistake-of-age defense, so whether one of these applies turns on details a lawyer needs to evaluate quickly.

Most sexual assault cases come down to one person's word, with no physical evidence. The State still has to prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt. When the evidence is thin, contradictory, or unlawfully obtained, we move to suppress it, present to the grand jury, or push the case to trial. This is the principle behind the acquittal above.

We reconstruct how the allegation came about: who the child or accuser first told, what was asked, who was present, and what was happening in the family at the time. Then we scrutinize the forensic interview itself for suggestive questioning and ignored alternatives.

Texts, social media, photos, and location history frequently contradict an allegation outright. We move fast to preserve digital evidence before it disappears, on both sides of the case.

We retain independent experts to review SANE findings, DNA analysis, and medical records. The question is never whether the State has an expert. It is whether the science actually says what the State claims it says.

We interview the witnesses police skipped and build a minute-by-minute timeline. Inconsistencies between the allegation and the verifiable record are often what persuades a grand jury to no-bill.

Most defense lawyers wait for the indictment. When the facts support it, we prepare a grand jury packet and present the exculpatory evidence prosecutors would never volunteer. Our no-bills in sexual assault cases came from exactly this work.

If the case must be tried, we prepare it like the trial starts tomorrow. We prepare clients and test the defense in front of people who have tried hundreds of cases.

Do not speak to police or investigators without an attorney, and do not try to explain your side. Anything you say can be used against you. Politely decline questioning and call a Dallas sexual assault lawyer immediately at (214) 903-4000. Be cautious with calls from your accuser as well: Texas is a one-party consent state, and pretext calls are often recorded by detectives.

Dallas judges set high bonds because of the seriousness of the charges and the long potential sentences. Our analysis of more than 64,000 Dallas County bonds found an average sex-offense bond of about $72,000, nearly double the county average. At your first appearance, a defense attorney can argue for a reduction based on community ties, employment, and lack of criminal history.

Most sexual assault convictions require sex offender registration, and deferred adjudication does not avoid it. Some offenses do not require registration, and reduction to a non-registerable offense is sometimes possible. The surest way to avoid registration is to avoid conviction through dismissal, acquittal, or reduction.

For most sexual assault charges, a jury can recommend probation if you have never been convicted of a felony in Texas. However, certain offenses, including super aggravated sexual assault of a child and continuous sexual abuse of a young child, are not eligible for probation under any circumstances.

False accusations happen, especially amid divorces and custody disputes. We use investigators and forensic experts to expose inconsistencies, motive, and coaching. Dallas juries acquit when the evidence shows reasonable doubt, as our trial results demonstrate.

Most felony sexual assault cases in Dallas County take a year or longer to resolve. The timeline depends on the investigation, grand jury presentation, forensic testing, discovery, and the court's trial schedule. Cases that resolve at the grand jury stage end much sooner, which is one more reason early representation matters.

Felony sexual assault cases are presented to a grand jury and, if indicted, assigned to a Dallas County Criminal District Court at the Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, in Dallas. You are initially booked at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center, where bond is set. Our Dallas office is minutes from the courthouse.

Our Dallas office is at 2100 Ross Avenue, Suite 950, Dallas, TX 75201, in downtown Dallas near the Frank Crowley Courts Building. Call (214) 903-4000 for a free, confidential consultation.