Suit Claims DA Overreacted by Accusing Boy, 6, of Sex Assault over Game of Doctor
A federal civil rights lawsuit claims a district attorney in southwest Wisconsin overreacted when she accused a 6-year-old boy of sexual assault over a game of doctor.
The suit, filed in federal court in Madison earlier this month, claims Grant County District Attorney Lisa Riniker violated the boy’s civil rights when she filed a juvenile court petition for protective services that claimed the doctor game was a sexual assault, the Wisconsin State Journal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report.
According to the suit, the boy was accused of sexually assaulting two 5-year-old children during a game of doctor last fall. The boy’s parents claim their son was selectively prosecuted because one of the 5-year-olds was the daughter of a Grant County political figure. The suit seeks $12 million in damages.
The girl told her mother she was playing “butt doctor” with the boy, the Wisconsin State Journal says. Previously the boy had medical problems requiring rectal examinations. The boy, now 7, has a developmental disability and is afraid of going to jail, the suit says.
An amended version of the suit filed late Sunday claims Riniker sought to retaliate against the boy’s parents last week by seeking a gag order to bar a television interview, Channel 3000.com reports.
