Case Results

2020-Pierce County Superior Court

Charge: Child Molestation First Degree

Result: Our client was found not guilty of the Class A sex offense of Child Molestation First Degree and Guilty of a misdemeanor Assault Fourth Degree. He received no jail time and paid a small fine and was required to continue with personal counseling.

2020 – Snohomish County District Court

Charge: Violation of a No Contact Order

Result: Charges against our client were dismissed when we were able to prove that he was out of state at the time of one of the alleged incidents and at his home miles away during the other alleged incident as well as a great deal of information on the public record calling into question the credibility of the accuser.

2019 – King County Superior Court

Charge: Rape Second Degree

Result: Not Guilty verdict by a jury after a 10-day trial. Our client was charged with Rape after he and a friend went home from a bar with a woman who invited them.

2019 – Skagit County Superior Court

Charge: Child Molestation First Degree

Result: Not Guilty verdict by a jury after an 8-day trial. Our client was accused of molesting his young stepdaughter. We were able to successfully argue that the accuser had been repeatedly interviewed in a suggestive way and that her testimony was not credible. We used expert witness Dr. Daniel Reisberg in this trial.

2019 – Snohomish County Superior Court

Charge: Possession of Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct

Result: We negotiated a plea to a single count rather than the multiple counts charged. Sentence of 13 months prison rather than the 87 to 102 months he faced at trial. Our client obtained a favorable psychosexual evaluation proving he was a low risk of reoffense and amenable to community-based treatment.

2019 – Pierce County Superior Court

Charge: Possession of Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct First Degree

Result: We negotiated a plea to a single count of Possession of Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct First Degree rather than the multiple counts charged. Sentence of 14 months prison rather than the 87 to 102 months he faced at trial. Our client obtained a favorable psychosexual evaluation proving he was a low risk of reoffense and amenable to community-based treatment.

2019 – King County Superior Court

Charge: Possession of Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct First Degree

Result: We negotiated a plea to a single count of Possession of Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct Second Degree and a gross misdemeanor of Attempted Viewing of Depictions of Minors in the Second Degree, rather than the multiple counts charged. Sentence of 6 months in King County Work Release rather than the 87 to 102 months he faced at trial.

Our client obtained a favorable psychosexual evaluation proving he was a low risk of reoffense and amenable to community-based treatment.

2019 – King County Superior Court

Charge: Attempted Commercial Sexual Abuse of a Minor

Result: Our client was allowed to plead guilty to one count of Patronizing a Prostitute and one count of gross misdemeanor Communicating with a Minor for Immoral Purposes, with a joint recommendation for a one-year deferred sentence on the Communicating Charge. We were able to raise several issues regarding the investigation in this case, and our client obtained a psychosexual evaluation indicating he did not have a history of seeking minors for sex and was at low risk of reoffense. These are challenging cases and do not always end with this result, but we work to find the issues to get the best results.

2019 – King County Juvenile Court

Charges: Civil – Sexual Assault Protection Order, Criminal – Assault Fourth Degree with Sexual Motivation

Result: Our client was accused of a date rape after a young lady snuck out of her house and came to his house in the middle of the night. She did not accuse him until some days later when he told her he did not want to be her boyfriend. We successfully defended against the request for a Sexual Assault Protection Order in civil court, where the accuser was cross examined by Brad Meryhew. After that victory the State dismissed the criminal charges.

2007 to 2020 – Petitions to Strike Sex Offender Registration

The Meryhew Law Group has more than an 85% success rate for petitions to strike the duty to register as a sex offender in juvenile and adult court. We have been doing these cases for more than a decade and Brad Meryhew has led the state in improving the laws to help with this effort. We consider this work to be a core part of our firm’s purpose. If you are considering a petition but are afraid of the vulnerability and the expense this will entail, call us for a free initial consultation to learn how we can help.

2007 to 2020 – Investigations of Sexual Misconduct by State and Federal Authorities

Becuaser of our approach, many of our clients who are under investigation for sex offenses are not charged with these crimes. We believe in an aggressive and proactive approach to representing our clients who have been accused of sexual misconduct. In some cases, we actually recommend meeting with the investigators to provide a recorded statement to set the record straight on important facts while demonstrating a willingness to answer questions. We regularly see cases declined for prosecution after our clients and their attorney meet with the investigating authorities, pass a private polygraph, or otherwise develop information and evidence to combat the allegations.