Retired Virginia Army Colonel sues woman accusing him of rape; How do you think this will play out for him?

MSgt Curtis Ellis — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 09:15:38 -0400

A retired Army colonel from Alexandria is suing one of his classmates from West Point during the 1980's, claiming her recent allegations of a rape from 30 years ago cost him a military promotion. Earlier this year Col Riggins filed a multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit against his former classmate, saying her claims of rape on what some consider a radical blog (Social Media), cost him a promotion to general in the United States Army. Do you think the Secretary of the Army's decision to pull Col Riggins' name from the promotion list was appropriate even though a review board ultimately decided Col Riggins was "fully qualified for promotion? Do you think the unsubstantiated past allegation, rehashed via social media site, should have been allowed to play an integral part in the decision making aspect of his career? Do you think her actions to post this on her site 30 years later were in response to learning that he was up for promotion? And, considering this is a touchy subject, please be thoughtful and respectful with your responses. Thank you! :)

Exclusive: Retired Virginia Army Colonel sues woman accusing him of rape

A 7 On Your Side I-Team exclusive: It's a he said, she said battle for the ages, with multi-million dollar consequences. And it's all playing out in a Fairfax County courtroom.A retired Army colonel from Alexandria is suing one of his classmates from West

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Sep 25 at 2015 9:17 AM

SCPO David Lockwood — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 09:17:09 -0400

He better have everything in one sock!

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 25 at 2015 9:50 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 09:50:20 -0400

That is one article that clearly does not have all the information. Hard to make a judgement. Regardless, it is going to be a nasty laundry day in that trial.

Response by SGT David T. made Sep 25 at 2015 10:33 AM

SGT David T. — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 10:33:28 -0400

Accusations and allegations are not proof. I cannot say if he is guilty or not, but the Army should not hold such things against someone without at least reasonable proof even if there is no conviction. Since they listed him as fully qualified he should have remained on the list absent any other factors.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Sep 25 at 2015 10:46 AM

COL Jean (John) F. B. — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 10:46:38 -0400

MSgt Curtis Ellis - An allegation of rape from 30 years ago, without any proof, should not be used to impact a person's career.

Having said that, there is no chance COL Riggins will be reinstated and promoted. He will, however, probably win his defamation suit against his accuser, as he should.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Sep 25 at 2015 11:23 AM

SSG Warren Swan — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 11:23:23 -0400

Question for anyone; he mentions how McHugh wouldn't use his political capitol on him. Now is there any legal way to have him testify to that? And is there any legal way to have those on the board testify as to the process and how the results came about? It's just for my knowledge, nothing more.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 25 at 2015 11:28 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 11:28:01 -0400

This is very tough to answer considering we don't know all the facts. I would initially like to point out that a rape that happened 30 years ago is past its date to be filed. She was 25 years too late. Her accusing him would not put him in jail no matter what. Even if he did it, it's past the statue of limitations so he wouldn't go to prison and likely not to trial. So you have to ask what does she gain from this? If he did it, he doesn't go to prison so the justice isn't served. If he didn't do it, it's just an accusation that gets both their names in the news. I can't possibly say for sure if the accusation had anything to do with his upcoming consideration for promotion, but it definitely had an impact. I think that's wrong because in a country where we are "innocent until proven guilty" he's being treated otherwise by the Army. There should be some definitive proof and they haven't produced that yet. I get that he won't go to prison even with proof but it certainly makes sense that if there is proof that they don't want to promote him and have him in charge of troops. Where does the line get drawn that we stop assuming accusations are completely true? People lie plain and simple. We don't know if she is lying or if he is lying but somebody is and you just have to think and question slightly why she'd come forward after all this time with so much at stake for him?

Response by SSG Keith Cashion made Sep 13 at 2016 9:38 AM

SSG Keith Cashion — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 09:38:35 -0400

So this is a case of sexual assault from 30 years ago at West Point. What has there interaction been since that time frame, if any? Have there paths crossed since, and why now? Defamation is a possible win, but did she report it to anyone at the time, were there others (roommates, family members, clergy, counselors, etc) that had knowledge of this. Or is this a case of a class mate in the same year group getting promoted while the other is over looked. Was the retirement based on RCP or because of this accusation? This case is going to be a stretch, probably cost him more to pursue and win, than the actual award. I understand that his name and career have now been tarnished, but the other questions come into play. We understand his motives for the suit, but what were hers for the announcement?

Response by CPL Nicky Miller made Sep 13 at 2016 10:03 AM

CPL Nicky Miller — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 10:03:45 -0400

Maybe she did speak up. Maybe her higher ups said "you are a good solider, do you really want to open that can of worms?" Maybe she tried to deal with this to long. Maybe in her mind she's thinking "I have to voice this or die" maybe he threatened her. This is a very touchy subject, I do agree to that. There are always three sides to every story you tell or hear. Theirs, yours and the truth. I am sure there is more to this. He may just have cheated and she wants to get even. Maybe he was just a bit better at his career than she was and she just wanted to ruin him. Honestly, I can't understand why someone would make a claim like this and it be a false statement. Real rape victims deal with it in their own ways. The time it took to voice it shouldn't matter. If it's a lie. I hope she gets prosecuted. Nobody deserves to be held back in their career.

Response by Nancy Riggins made Aug 4 at 2017 7:51 AM

Nancy Riggins — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 07:51:18 -0400

A civil suit was tried in the Fairfax County, VA Circuit Court and concluded on August 2, 2017. The jury unanimously ruled in favor of Riggins and he was awarded $8.4 million in damages.

Response by PO2 Skip Kirkwood made Aug 4 at 2017 8:08 AM

PO2 Skip Kirkwood — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 08:08:07 -0400

What happened to "Innocent until proven guilty"???

The statute of limitations has long since run.....

Response by Sgt Wayne Wood made Aug 4 at 2017 1:37 PM

Sgt Wayne Wood — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 13:37:02 -0400

I hope he wins... but how does he get his career back?

Response by SFC Jim Ruether made Aug 4 at 2017 6:57 PM

SFC Jim Ruether — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 18:57:56 -0400

To little to late I am afraid.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2018 5:11 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 17:11:43 -0400

Well, from what I read, he got an $8.1 judgement awarded. I get that there's a big push to stop this treatment, but it has become so that a false allegation will destroy you. Just look at the current SCOTUS Confirmation DEBACLE... ...