# Familial predisposition towards assault on women to be probed by MIT-not likely! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 27, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729 "2004-08-27T02:55:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/1 "2004-08-27T02:55:37Z")
Just as I’ve forgotten the atrocities, [a fresh helping from the Kennedy clan.](http://www.nbc5.com/news/3682044/detail.html?z=dp&dpswid=2265994&dppid=65194) When are these folks get it? I’d be happier if they’d stayed with bootlegging. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/2 "2004-08-27T03:00:57Z")
When are these folks _gonna_ get it? Should have been that sentence. My bad Quickedit would be another nice feature on SDMB, but that’s another gripe. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/3 "2004-08-27T04:47:43Z")
So far I see vague accusations against the nephew of a politician. Who the hell cares? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/4 "2004-08-27T10:16:42Z")
OK, legal eagles! How would she go about proving that a rape occured 5 years after the fact? After any physical evidence is gone, any possible witness’es recollections have faded. I am assuming there was no police report and no hospital visit (rape kit). Doesn’t ‘preponderance of evidence’ mean it _has_ to be more than her word against his? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/5 "2004-08-27T14:43:47Z")
I’m under the strong impression this guy committed a rape 13-some-odd years ago and got away with it (although I wasn’t on the jury, mind you), but this new allegation looks like bullshit to me. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/6 "2004-08-27T16:44:23Z")
Why does the linked article have a picture of Jim Breuer? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/7 "2004-08-27T18:05:33Z")
From the article linked in the OP > [@](#): > > Meanwhile, Kennedy Smith apparently has hired a Chicago private investigator to help him with this case, NBC5’s Lisa Tutman reported. At another news conference Thursday, well-known investigator Ernie Rizzo said he was asked by Kennedy Smith to speak on his behalf. Rizzo said the woman at the center of the allegations is motivated by money. > > “She owes $60,000 to Saks Fifth Avenue, $91,000 in clothing bills, she just went through a bankruptcy,” Rizzo said. “She needs money. It’s very simple. That’s the golden goose.” > > Public records show Soulias filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy 1½ years after the alleged incident with Kennedy Smith. She listed more than $91,000 in debt. > > Rizzo says he was hired just this week by Kennedy Smith to do investigative work on this case, but the private investigator claims to have first become aware of Soulias more than a year ago, when he says The National Enquirer called him about a story Soulias was allegedly peddling to the tabloid. > > “I had a reporter from The Enquirer call me and said she’s in there trying to sell a story about being raped by Dr. Smith,” Rizzo said. “They didn’t like the story.” Which folks are you waiting to ‘get it’? ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/8 "2004-08-27T18:20:17Z")
Spooje- You can be sued civilly without being sued, charged or convicted criminally. OJ Was successfully sued without ever being convicted of murder. It makes the burden of proof abnormally and unattainably high, however, and the chances of winning a judgement are slim and none but not unheard of. Looks spurious and suspect right now, but only time will tell. Sam ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/9 "2004-08-27T18:45:35Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Just as I’ve forgotten the atrocities, [a fresh helping from the Kennedy clan.](http://www.nbc5.com/news/3682044/detail.html?z=dp&dpswid=2265994&dppid=65194) Out of idle curiousity, to what atrocities do you refer? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/10 "2004-08-27T18:57:58Z")
> [@The OP's linked article](#): > > O’Reilly defended the fact that Soulias went on to date Kennedy Smith for several months afterwards. Well, doesn’t _ **that** _ throw in an interesting wrinkle. Why would she date a man who raped her? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/11 "2004-08-27T19:25:37Z")
Kennedys aside, that’d make a great little dissertation project for a politically blind grad student. The stink raised when the report came out would be _awesome_. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/12 "2004-08-27T22:14:17Z")
> [@GaWd](#): > > Spooje- You can be sued civilly without being sued, charged or convicted criminally. OJ Was successfully sued without ever being convicted of murder. It makes the burden of proof abnormally and unattainably high, however, and the chances of winning a judgement are slim and none but not unheard of. > > Looks spurious and suspect right now, but only time will tell. > > Sam But to get a judgment, there still must be a preponderance of evidence. I take this to mean “more evidence for than against”. Her saying it happened and his saying it didn’t is a push. Her possible financial motivation and his shady past is a push. She still has to come up with \*something \* that demonstrates her claim, does she not? This sounds like a shakedown to me. Especially since she asks for 50K. It’s a low amount. Smith has probably already been told that he may spend much more than that fighting her in court. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/familial-predisposition-towards-assault-on-women-to-be-probed-by-mit-not-likely/261729/13 "2004-08-27T22:21:37Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > But to get a judgment, there still must be a preponderance of evidence. I take this to mean “more evidence for than against”. Her saying it happened and his saying it didn’t is a push. Her possible financial motivation and his shady past is a push. She still has to come up with \*something \* that demonstrates her claim, does she not? Without a criminal investigation and conviction, she may have to collect MORE evidence for her than she would have had to if she had pursued this at the time of incident. That was my point. It is very very difficult to get a civil judgement for a criminal matter when there is no criminal case, either ongoing or settled. > [@](#): > > This sounds like a shakedown to me. Especially since she asks for 50K. It’s a low amount. Smith has probably already been told that he may spend much more than that fighting her in court. I agree. $50k certainly seems like a low dollar figure-at least enough to pay minimums and go on a nother shopping spree! Yay! :smack: With all of the lawyers and investigators, it’s probably going to break the $50K mark in no time at all, but how much money is your renewed reputation worth? Sam