News| Duke Rape Case | Lacrosse Player Faces New Legal Troubles
April 26, 2006 – One of two Duke University lacrosse team members accused of raping a Black exotic dancer is facing legal trouble in an unrelated assault case.
Collin Finnerty and two of his friends were in Georgetown last November and reportedly starting punching a man after he told them to "stop calling him gay and other derogatory names," court documents show.
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A D.C. judge determined Tuesday that 19-year-old Finnerty had violated conditions of a diversion program he entered after being charged in that case. Under the program, he was to refrain from committing any criminal offense, but the judge ruled that those terms were breached when he was arrested in the Duke case.
At Tuesday's hearing, Finnerty was ordered by a judge to report by phone to court officials every Friday by his 9 p.m., curfew and told him to stay away from places that sell alcohol.
Finnerty remains free pending a July 10 trial in the Georgetown case. He could face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 if convicted of simple assault.
Finnerty and 20-year-old teammate Reade Seligmann were indicted on rape and kidnapping charges last week after 27-year-old exotic dancer, who had been hired to perform at a lacrosse team party March 13, told police that she was gang-raped in a bathroom of the off-campus house for 30-minutes by three White men. District Attorney Mike Nifong has said he expects to charge a third person soon.
However, the lawyer for Seligmann says there's a lot in the accuser's history to impeach the woman's credibility. He's demanding that prosecutors hand over the accuser's medical, legal and education records.
The woman and mother of two said she danced to pay her way through North Carolina Central University, a historically Black campus.
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