via NY Times

In the world of lawyers and advocates who specialize in domestic violence and family law, a moment-to-moment concern is that a woman who has made an accusation — or gone to court for protection — will be intimidated by even the slightest pushback, whether it comes from the man she has taken action against or from his family, his friends or his co-workers.

For that reason, these experts say, contact between a powerful official like Gov. David A. Paterson and a woman who had testified that she had been violently assaulted by one of his top aides was inappropriate.

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