Legal Question in Sexual Harassment in Kentucky

My father is wanting to file charges against my boyfriend for statutory rape. I was 17 at the time. Can he file charges?

I am now 18 and my father is wanting to press the charges currently. The only reason he is wanting to press charges is because I want to move away from home. My boyfriend who may be facing the charges is 27. I live in Kentucky where the age of consent is 16. Do I have any legal rights that can stop the charges or can the charges even be made?


Asked on 8/20/12, 8:35 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Thomas McAdam Thomas A. McAdam, III, Attorney

Under Kentucky law, you are now an emancipated adult. Your father cannot prevent you from moving away from home, getting married, or owning property. As long as you were 16 years of age or older when you first consented to having sexual relations with your boyfriend, he has not committed the crime of statutory rape in Kentucky. Your father either does not understand the law, or is bluffing, in an attempt to keep you and your boyfriend apart. As a father myself, however, I understand the difficulty he is having in dealing with your choices. It might be a good plan to have a third party--your mother, aunt, uncle, etc.--try to intercede on your behalf with your Dad. Sooner or later, he will have to come around to seeing things from your perspective. Let him know that you understand that his motivation is a desire for your safety and happiness, but that you are now a woman and need to be responsible for seeking your own love and happiness.

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Answered on 8/20/12, 2:10 pm


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