On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Violent Crimes on Friday, August 9, 2019.
The core elements comprising criminal assault and battery are sufficiently intertwined yet different in material respects that getting a handle on what they’re about routinely stymies legions of law school students. That is similarly true for even many experienced criminal defense attorneys.
We prominently note that subject-matter difficulty on our website at the established St. Louis criminal defense firm of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry. We stress therein that, “Assault and battery charges can arise from a broad range of incidents that are often exceedingly complex.”
In fact, such charges are filed by prosecutors in cases spanning matters from domestic arguments and bar fights to road rage-linked altercations and punching/stabbing incidents at sports venues.
The bottom line: Many individuals accused of assault and battery reasonably turn for help to a seasoned legal team that has a proven record of advocacy defending against such charges.
Strong legal representation in assault and battery cases starts with a close analysis of what really happened in a matter resulting in criminal charges.
A great deal of subjectivity and ambiguity can attach to an allegation. Sometimes one person’s version of “what happened” ultimately turns out to be unreasonable and unsupported by facts. It may be the case that an asserted nonconsensual contact/touching never actually occurred. Indeed, it is established in some cases that an alleged offender was actually acting out of fear and in self-defense.
In short, assault and battery charges are often less than clear-cut matters that conclusively establish guilt. Defendants often have strong grounds to rebut such allegations, which practiced defense attorneys can flesh out and argue persuasively to a court.