There’s no such thing as a ‘typical domestic abuse victim.’ Even in the world of celebrity, whether you’re a Hollywood A-lister or the world’s highest paid athlete, you can be either abuser or abused.
In some states, judges and prosecutors tend to be more lenient with women aggressors, even though domestic violence laws are intended to be gender-neutral. Yet, here are three domestic abuse cases where: (1) A woman was deemed the primary aggressor; (2) A victim declined to press charges; and (3) Both partners were charged.
Brenda Harvey-Richie, primary aggressor
The ‘80s were defined by big hair and synth-pop songs, but that’s not the decade’s only legacy. Infidelity coupled with domestic violence was also big.
One of the most publicized examples of this was in 1988 when hitmaker Lionel Richie was caught by his then-wife Brenda Harvey cheating with Diane Alexander (whom he ended up marrying) in a Beverly Hills hotel.
Security in the ‘80s was more relaxed, which is why Brenda was able to sneak into the hotel, suit up as an employee, go to Lionel and Diane’s room, yell “Room service!” and catch her husband with his mistress.
For his infidelity, Lionel suffered several bruises and, five years later, got served with divorce papers. For her creative approach to busting her cheating husband, Brenda was charged with assault, battery, trespassing, vandalism, and resisting arrest.
Evan Peters declining to press charges against Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts has played wildly different roles in film and TV. She was a spoiled teenage brat in ‘American Horror Story,’ a serial killer in ‘Scream 4,’ and a sorority member in ‘Scream Queens’. In real life, she once played the role of a messy girlfriend.
In 2013, Emma was arrested for allegedly hitting and biting her fiancé Evan Peters. The two were caught in an altercation in a Montreal hotel, with the police arresting Emma because it was Evan who was visibly injured.
In this case, who should be arrested? Also, was dainty little Emma (she’s 5’2” tall) really physically stronger than Evan?
In Washington (and in most states), the person deemed the primary aggressor will be the one arrested, as in the case of these two AHS co-stars. Once the police or state prosecutor files the domestic violence charges, the victim loses the authority to drop or decline his or her charge.
But when domestic violence victims decline to press charges in the first place -- as was the case with Evan -- the abuser gets off and the victim keeps his or her injuries.
Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman, both aggressors
After a whirlwind romance that led to a Las Vegas-style wedding, parody-film superstar Carmen Electra and NBA star-turned-wrestler Dennis Rodman announced their separation nine days later (which is still much longer compared to some of their peers).
In the short amount of time they were husband and wife, the two managed to get involved in a domestic violence case where both of them were deemed aggressors.
In 2003, Carmen and Dennis were arrested for misdemeanor battery in a Miami hotel. According to the police, Carmen had bruises on her arm and left temple and a swollen lip, while Dennis sported bloodshot eyes and tattered clothes.
The messy ex-spouses were arrested because they both had visible minor injuries. They were also ordered to maintain a distance of at least 500 feet from each other to ensure they inflicted no further harm toward each other.
Domestic abuse can also happen to you, even if your case does not make it to People or TMZ. If you need personal injury lawyers to sue your abusers and claim damages for your physical and psychological injuries, get in touch with Seattle attorneys Buckingham, LaGrandeur & Williams.