Powerful PA. Repub who was charged with rape - avoids any prison time in plea bargain

[JPZenger]

Robert Kern was one of the most powerful Republican officials in PA. He was the long-time chair of the Republican Party of Montgomery County, which is one of the most populated areas of PA. A female employee of his law firm accused him of drugging her with spiked wine and forcibly raping her after a party. The victim went to prosecutors soon afterwards.

Allegedly, there was a screw-up in handling a drug test of the victim's blood. Eventually, the level of charges was reduced. The case was transferred to the PA. Attorney General's office. Now, he has pleaded "no contest" and avoided any prison time.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20141125_Former_GOP_boss_sentenced_for_indecent_assault_with_subordinate.html

Excerpt:

"What the defendant did to me rocked my world and rocked my family's world," said the victim, a thin, petite woman in her early 50s who worked at Kerns' law firm at the time that she alleged he drugged and raped her in Oct. 2013.

"It took a lot for me to come forward because I was so distraught," she added. "I didn't think I could go up against someone having the status of my offender. I can't tell you how many times I have wondered, 'How many other women?' "

According to court documents, on Oct. 25, 2013, the woman was working for Kerns at his suburban law firm and agreed to join him and fellow colleagues for an office party later that day. The woman accepted a ride home from Kerns that night. She claims it was then that he sexually assaulted her in his Mercedes Benz and again when he dropped her off at home in Montgomery County."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/11/pennsylvania-gop-official-accused-of-drugging-and-raping-woman-multiple-times-pleads-no-contest/

An older story with more details of the accusations:

http://patch.com/pennsylvania/limerick/exgop-chairman-charged-with-rape-drug-possession-limerick

This is the same week that the State Attorney General's office also plea bargained a severe set of corruption and bribery charges against powerful officials, and allowed them to avoid any jail time or even payment of restitution to the State.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10746369

[PeoViejo]

1. Droit du Seigneur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droit_du_seigneur

Droit du seigneur (/ˈdrɑː də seɪˈnjɜr/; French pronunciation: ​[dʁwa dy sɛɲœʁ]) refers to a widespread popular belief, centered on a late medieval, European context, concerning (supposed) legal rights allowing the lord to spend a night and have sexual relations with a subordinate woman. The putative rights are known also as jus primae noctis (/ʒʌs ˈpraɪmiː ˈnɒktɨs/; Latin pronunciation: [ju:s ˈpri:mai 'noktis]) mainly when they include the notion of "first night".[1]

According to the most known variant, it was an alleged legal right allowing the lord of a medieval estate to take the virginity of his serfs' daughters.

There is no evidence, however, that the alleged rights ever actually existed in medieval Europe, much less that they were ever exercised,[2] although there is evidence of the practice in certain other regions and time periods.