Alipato Sues Former 49er Ray McDonald
Media Contact
Tia Katrina Taruc Canlas
Alipato Project
Cell: 510-393-2723
tia@alipatoproject.org
For Immediate Release
Former 49er Ray McDonald Sued in Civil Court for Domestic Violence
July 18, 2017 (Santa Cruz, CA) – Earlier today, Kendra Scott filed suit in Santa Cruz County to hold former San Francisco 49er Ray McDonald accountable for the beatings and other abuse she suffered at his hands. The civil suit claims damages from domestic violence, stalking, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence.
McDonald’s abuse of Ms. Scott began in 2014 shortly after they became engaged and moved in together. Ms. Scott documented the abuse by reporting some incidents to the police, photographing her injuries, and telling friends and family. On a near-daily basis, McDonald called Ms. Scott derogatory names, and on various occasions dragged her down steps, body-slammed her, grabbed her by her arms and neck, and more. The abuse continued even after Ms. Scott became pregnant with McDonald’s child. Ms. Scott formally ended their relationship when McDonald was charged with rape of another woman in December 2014. However, ending the relationship failed to stop the abuse: in 2015, McDonald assaulted Ms. Scott with their two-month-old in her arms. Ms. Scott sought and obtained an Emergency Protective Order, which McDonald later violated.
Tia Katrina Taruc Canlas, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Alipato Project, which seeks to deter domestic violence by ensuring that domestic abusers are held financially accountable in civil court, represents Ms. Scott. Glenn Katon is co-counsel. His firm, Katon.Law, specializes in civil and constitutional rights, including police misconduct, racial profiling, immigrants’ rights, and free speech.
Said Ms. Taruc Canlas: “Sadly, Ms. Scott’s story is not an isolated one. Domestic violence is an epidemic in the United States. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that one in three women suffer physical abuse by an intimate partner. Yet, according to a US Department of Justice National Violence Against Women Survey, only about one quarter of physical assaults against women by intimate partners are reported to the police.”
Mallika Kaur, a lecturer at Berkeley Law who has worked with domestic violence survivors since 2004, added, “Pregnancy and young children often greatly increase women’s vulnerability. Survivors often don’t get closure in the criminal legal system due to various reasons, and it is important for them to have other avenues for relief.”
Intimate partner abuse is widely described as cyclical, often consisting of an initial incident of violence, building tension, another incident usually followed by the abuser apologizing and the couple making up, calm as both parties try to pretend all is normal, and then another incident of abuse. The cycle frequently repeats itself – often with the abuse escalating – as victims confront the many barriers to leaving, which often include fear of additional violence, shame and embarrassment, financial dependence, child custody issues, fear of societal backlash, and more. Many of these fears are well-founded: the Domestic Violence Intervention Program reports that women are 70 times more likely to be killed in the two weeks after leaving than at any other time in the relationship. The World Health Organization estimates 21 to 60% of domestic violence victims lose their jobs due to issues arising from the abuse, and the National Coalition for the Homeless cites domestic violence as the third leading cause of homelessness among families.
“In Kendra’s case, the stakes were even higher,” notes attorney Glenn Katon. “Studies have shown conviction rates in domestic violence cases involving athletes to be much lower than in the case of alleged intimate violence by non-athletes.”
As Jerri Kay-Phillips wrote in the Berkeley Journal of Entertainment and Sports Law (May 2016), the reality of lower conviction rates leaves “wives and intimate partners of NFL players uniquely vulnerable to violence.” Kay-Phillips goes on to write: “The inconsistency in League [NFL] responses to domestic violence has two key consequences: it leaves domestic violence survivors feeling as if there are no repercussions for their partners’ egregious conduct, and it sends the message to teams that it is best to ignore domestic violence allegations and allow the case to meander through the legal system so you can keep your best players on the field for the time being.”
Ms. Scott agrees, but is determined to push back.
“My goal with this lawsuit,” said Ms. Scott, “is to let Ray and other would-be offenders know they will be held accountable. I also want the NFL to realize it needs to address off-the-field misconduct consistently, at the League level, while providing both players and their partners with counseling and support services. But above all, I want to let other women know that it’s okay to speak out. It’s okay to seek justice. Together, we can take on domestic violence. We can change people’s attitudes about this epidemic. It won’t be easy, but we can do it.”
The legal complaint has been efiled; a court-stamped copy forthcoming. To see the legal complaint, click HERE.
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