Judge Throws Out Woman’s Rape Lawsuit

Dismissing a woman’s lawsuit against two Virginia Tech football players, a judge declared unconstitutional a federal law allowing rape victims to sue their attackers for damages.

U.S. District Judge Jackson Kiser, in a ruling released Monday, said Congress exceeded its constitutional authority by passing the law.

Christy Brzonkala had claimed athletes Antonio Morrison and James Crawford raped her in their dormitory suite in 1994.

She became the first woman to sue in federal court under the Violence Against Women Act. Part of the 1994 crime bill, it allows victims of sexual assaults to contend their civil rights were violated and seek damages.

The defendants had argued that the law gave Congress police powers the Constitution did not intend, and that if it were not thrown out, Congress could pass laws permitting any criminal suspect to be dragged into federal court for civil damages.