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The Duke lacrosse case was a 2006 criminal case stemming from a false accusation of rape made against three members of the Duke University men's lacrosse team, located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. The case evoked varied responses from the media, faculty groups, students, the community, and others. The case's resolution sparked public discussion of reverse racism, media bias, due process on campuses and ultimately led to the resignation and disbarment of the lead prosecutor, Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong. In March 2006, Crystal Gail Mangum, an African-American student at North Carolina Central University〔 who worked as a stripper, dancer and escort, falsely accused three white Duke University students – all members of the Duke Blue Devils men's lacrosse team – of raping her. The alleged rape occurred at a party held at the house of two of the team's captains in Durham on March 13, 2006. Many persons involved in or commenting on the case, including District Attorney Nifong, stated or suggested that the alleged rape was a hate crime.〔Nancy Grace,("Was Young Woman Assaulted by Duke Lacrosse Team?" ), transcripts.cnn.com, March 31, 2006.〕 In response to the allegations, Duke University suspended the lacrosse team for two games on March 28, 2006. The following week, on April 5, Duke lacrosse coach Mike Pressler was forced to resign under threat by athletic director Joe Alleva, and Duke President Richard Brodhead canceled the remainder of the 2006 season. On April 11, 2007, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper dropped all charges and declared the three lacrosse players innocent. Cooper stated that the players – Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty, and David Evans – were victims of a "tragic rush to accuse." The initial prosecutor, Nifong, was labeled a "rogue prosecutor" by Cooper, and withdrew from the case in January 2007 after the North Carolina State Bar filed ethics charges against him. In June 2007, Nifong was disbarred for "dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation", making him the first prosecutor in North Carolina disbarred for trial conduct. Nifong served one day in jail for lying about sharing DNA tests (criminal contempt); the lab director said it was a misunderstanding and Nifong claimed it was due to weak memory. Mangum faced no charges for her false accusations, as Cooper declined to prosecute her.〔(Duke lacrosse accuser holds press conference to defend herself ), The News & Observer, June 30, 2010〕 Cooper noted several inconsistencies between Mangum's accounts of the evening and Seligmann and Finnerty's alibi evidence. The Durham Police Department also came under fire for violating their own policies by allowing Nifong to act as the de facto head of the investigation; using a suspect-only photo identification procedure with Mangum; pursuing the case despite vast discrepancies in notes taken by Investigator Benjamin Himan and Sgt. Mark Gottlieb; and distributing a poster presuming the suspects' guilt shortly after the allegations. In 2007, Seligmann, Finnerty and Evans sought unspecified damages and called for new criminal justice reform laws in a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Durham.〔 ==Timeline of events== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Duke lacrosse case」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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