Donna Emmett, Casey Novak and others in “Unfinished Business”

The crime of rape used to be hard to prove, even harder to convict. The victim was on trial, not a rapist. Then the laws changed. Woman's identity was protected, her sexual history excluded, and rapists were rightly brought to justice. And now, perhaps the pendulum has swung too far. Women who have sex and later regret it are not entitled to call their partners rapists! Now, Miss Denning went to my client's apartment late at night, wore sexy clothes, drank several glasses of wine and then kissed him, but now she says she was there to discuss her art portfolio. Now, every piece of evidence is open to interpretation, but two facts are undeniable. First, there is nothing in Ron Polikoff's past to suggest he is capable of such a violent act. Second, his life has already been ruined by this woman's unfounded, unsubstantiated and unjust accusations. Don't punish him anymore for a crime he did not commit.

Casey Novak

Believe me, rape is still hard to prosecute and it is still a nightmare for the victims. Miss Denning has had to endure three separate sexual humiliations. Her teacher, a man she admired, raped her. In the hospital, she had to strip naked. She was photographed, poked, prodded, and then scraped, so the police could gather evidence, and finally, she sat here and relived every sordid, painful detail. Her sex life dissected, her psychological traumas exposed, her entire motivation called into question. So ask yourselves this: why would she put herself through such hell if she wasn't telling the truth?

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

[reads the verdict to herself, then passes it back] In the case of The People V. Ronald J. Polikoff, Docket Ending 445, on the top count of the indictment, the charge of Rape in the First Degree, what is your verdict?

We find the defendant...