(05-01-2020, 04:30 PM)Dewboy01 Wrote:

(05-01-2020, 01:58 PM)Jagsfan4life9/28/82 Wrote: Wouldn't that be just another charge? Witness tampering, or something? One can't pay off witnesses in a criminal trial any more than one can threaten them. A few of you have conflated civil and criminal trials. There will be no payoff, period.

I'm not conflating anything, I'm fully aware of the difference between criminal and civil cases.  While not necessarily common, there are "Non-Cooperation Provisions" that can be written into a civil settlement.  Each state has different laws/statutes that govern civil settlements and whether or not these provisions are legal and/or ethical since they basically buy a witnesses silence.  But they do exist.  In this situation, as I explained above, a monetary (civil) settlement can be reached with someone that includes a "Non-Cooperation Provision".  If the girl doesn't cooperate with the prosecution, it'll be difficult (not impossible) to convict him, leading to a higher probability of a plea deal.  I'm not saying this is going to happen, I'm not saying it should happen - I'm on record as stating that Telvin should face the full extent of whatever he can be charged with - especially if the facts that we've heard and read are accurate and he knew her age and paid her in an attempt to get her to lie about what he had done to her.