Do you remember a famous case that made national news? You might not be old enough to remember, but it was November of 1987, when the Hudson Valley (and then the entire world) learned of a young lady named Tawana Brawley.

According to several news stories, it was November 29, 1987, that Tawana was found unconscious and unresponsive, wrapped in a garbage bag, covered with racial slurs that had been written on her body, along with fecal matter.

What happened to Tawana Brawley in Poughkeepsie NY?

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She was taken to the hospital where she told police that she had been sexually assaulted, repeatedly, in the woods by three white males. However, forensic evidence was not able to support those claims. Within just one month of Brawley being found in front of her Wappingers Falls apartment building, over 1,000 people were marching in support of her case along the streets of Newburgh, New York.

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Which high-profile lawyers were helping Tawana Brawley with her case?

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While Brawley's legal team was working hard to prove her case, three high profiled 'concerned citizens' helped with her publicity. Those citizens were civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, along with attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason.

How long before a grand jury released a ruling?

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash
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October 1988, almost one year later, a New York Grand Jury, released a report citing that it was highly un-probable that the events Brawley claimed had actually taken place.

Did Tawana Brawley every have to pay restitution to the Hudson Valley NY?

Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash
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Several civil suits later, Brawley was ordered to pay restitution to many of the individuals she had made the claims against. Did it happen? Was she a victim of a violent, heinous crime?

Do you remember this case? Do you think that if this happened in 2023 that there would be a different legal outcome?

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