Rapist Sued for Seeking Visitation Rights

 Posted on September 11, 2013 in Child Custody

All too often, there are stories on the news and even more frequently, it seems, on prime-time crime shows, of women being raped and children getting sexually abused. The crime show stars, however, always find the rapist and put him behind bars, and the victims move on and push past the horrid events. As for the real cases on the news, most often news channels will briefly discuss the victim and the event, but there will be no follow up. Unfortunately for a Massachusetts teen, the news coverage has not yet stopped from a rape that happened in 2008, when she was only 14 years old. The New York Daily News recently reported on a man in Massachusetts who raped a woman, impregnated her, and now wants visitation rights to see his child. The father is being sued by the rape victim for attempting to see the child. The girl was 14 years old when she was impregnated by Jaime Melendez, who was 20 at the time, and who plead guilty to four counts of statutory rape. The NY Daily News referred to the now 19 year old woman only as “H.T.,” just as she was in the court documents. H.T. “sued the commonwealth of Massachusetts,” claiming that “she has been forced into a 16-year legal relationship with” her rapist, according to documents from the case. In 2011, Melendez was sentenced to 16 years of probation, including being required to pay $110 a week to family court for child support payments after pleading guilty. His argument in the child support case was that he should have visitation rights if he has to financially support the child. The 19 year old mother wants no contact between her and Melendez or the child and father, but Melendez only offered to drop the visitation request if he is able to discontinue the child support payments. If you are in a situation dealing with rape, domestic violence, child custody, or child support, contact a family law attorney who will keep your best interests in mind throughout the legal process. Goostree Law Group is located in Kane County and is available to help you with any legal family issues that you have today.