Victim Ordered to Pay Attacker Spousal Support

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She was forced to have sex with him, and now she's being forced to pay his bills.

That right there tells you something is seriously fucked up.

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Crystal Harris of Carlsbad, Calif., had been financially supporting her unemployed, abusive husband Shawn Harris for years. But after he sexually assaulted her in 2008, she took him to court.

The jury heard a damning audiotape of the attack secretly recorded by Crystal Harris, and her husband was convicted of forced oral copulation.

Even so, in 2010, the year their divorce became finalized, he requested spousal support. The judge awarded him $1,000 a month, and also asked Crystal Harris to pay $47,000 of her ex-husband's legal fees from the divorce proceedings.

That's right, folks. He beat her, he raped her, and yet the judge says she needs to pay his legal fees, plus a thousand dollars a month because he can't be bothered to get a job.

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Harris, who turned 39 Thursday, makes between $110,000 and $120,000 a year as a financial analyst, and says she has been supporting her husband -- a former car salesman -- ever since their first son was born in 2002.

He's not unemployed because of the recession; he hasn't worked in 9 years.

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Under normal circumstances, Harris would have been required to pay $3,000 a month in spousal support after the divorce, but because of the domestic violence she endured, the judge said he would lower that amount to $1,000.

Oh, that makes it okay, then.

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She appealed the judge's ruling, pointing out that her ex-husband will have no expenses while he's in jail.

But...but...but when he gets out of jail, he's going to need that money to get back on his feet! After all, he won't have worked in 12 years!

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The judge agreed, but when Shawn Harris, 40, is released from Donovan State Prison in 2014, he's entitled to ask for spousal support again. And California law entitles him to have it.

That is one of the most fucked-up laws in California. Frankly, I don't think someone who is convicted of abusing their spouse should get a single penny out of them ever (except child support, if they have custody, because it's not the kids' fault the parent is a douchebag).

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In court Shawn Harris admitted to past domestic violence, ABC News affiliate KGTV reported, but his defense attorney said he never raped his wife, arguing that the couple was merely "role playing."

No, no, no. That's not role-playing. Role-playing is consensual. Rape is not.

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Although the beginning of the audio recording started with what Harris describes as "extremely violent" oral copulation, she said she wasn't protesting during the portion where they engaged in sexual intercourse, because she was "thinking about how our children are upstairs."

Probably wise. Can you imagine how a child might be traumatized by seeing Daddy raping Mommy? Or even worse, what the child might learn from that?

This guy doesn't deserve a cent.

It's divorce court. Deserve's got nothing to do with it.

The amazing thing is, California is no longer a Republican state.

the asylum wrote:

The amazing thing is, California is no longer a Republican state.

Then maybe this law can be changed.

Lady Anne wrote:

the asylum wrote:

The amazing thing is, California is no longer a Republican state.

Then maybe this law can be changed.

Funny, I thought it was the Democrats who were big on alimony. Wealth distribution from those who have more to those who have less might as well be the primary thing they stand for.

Glad to see alimony is finally becoming equal opportunity bullshit.

Mikey Go WOOGA wrote:

Glad to see alimony is finally becoming equal opportunity bullshit.

It has been for quite some time. The reason you don't see all that much about it is because men still typically make more money and women are still more commonly the ones who put their careers on hold for childrearing. As these two things change, palimony is becoming more common.

Lady Anne wrote:

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Harris, who turned 39 Thursday, makes between $110,000 and $120,000 a year as a financial analyst, and says she has been supporting her husband -- a former car salesman -- ever since their first son was born in 2002.

He's not unemployed because of the recession; he hasn't worked in 9 years.

In other words, he gave up his career and became a househusband to raise the kids. That's pretty much why alimony exists. I'm not sure what your point is with the inclusion of this paragraph.


Oh, and Rae, this isn't palimony. That's when one partner in a non-married romantic relationship sues the other for continued support following a break-up. I still remember the case from the seventies that spawned the term.

Huh. For some reason, I ended up thinking palimony was interchangeable with alimony. My family law friend would be disappoint.

Quick question: they cannot possible be considering giving the kids to him, what with being convicted of abuse and rape and all. Is he going to be expected to pay child support?

Reepicheep-chan wrote:

Quick question: they cannot possible be considering giving the kids to him, what with being convicted of abuse and rape and all. Is he going to be expected to pay child support?

Well he's in jail at the moment, so.