Withdrawn consent
Finally, even if the alleged victim initially consented to and participated in sexual intercourse, s/he CAN later withdraw that consent...which MAY turn what began as an act of consensual intercourse, into rape.17
But this will only occur if the following three things are true:
The alleged victim communicates to the defendant that s/he objects to the intercourse that is occurring and attempts to stop the act,
The "victim" communicates this objection in a way that would convey lack of consent to a reasonable person, AND
The defendant forcibly continues the intercourse anyway.18
Example: Karen is upset after a fight with her boyfriend and goes to a bar by herself. At the bar, she meets Paul. Karen invites Paul back to her apartment, and the two begin to have sex.
But not long after the sexual act begins, Karen begins to feel guilty about cheating on her boyfriend. She tells Paul that she is no longer comfortable and wants to stop having sex. She also tries to push him away from her. But Paul overpowers her and continues the intercourse.
Paul may be guilty of California rape even though he initially thought he was having consensual sex with Karen. Paul may be liable for rape because Karen has withdrawn her consent.
Proving consent under California's rape shield law
California's rape shield law is an evidence rule designed to protect the privacy of rape victims. It says that you may not prove consent by introducing evidence of your accuser's past sexual conduct or sexual reputation.19
In other words, even if the person accusing you has a history of having consensual sex with large numbers of people, you cannot point to that history to try to show that she consented to having sex with you.
Defendant must have known that there was a lack of consent
Luckily, it's not enough for a prosecutor to show that the alleged victim didn't consent to sexual intercourse. They also have to prove-beyond a reasonable doubt-that the defendant did not "actually" and "reasonably" believe that the victim had consented.20 If they can't prove this, then the defendant can't be convicted of rape in California.
Example: Rick is interested in S&M (sadomasochism) and arranges a date with Tracy, a woman he met on an internet site for people interested in S&M. In emails, Tracy has told him she has fantasies of being raped and wants to meet with him to act out those fantasies.
At Rick's apartment, he and Tracy have sex during which he behaves threateningly toward her. Later, Tracy accuses him of rape. But Rick may be able to defend himself by arguing that he actually and reasonably believed that Tracy had consented.