People accused of sexual assault in Colorado may have engaged in a wide range of different behaviors. Sometimes, the accusations involve violence or physical force. Other times, there may be claims of incapacitation on the part of the other party. In other cases, there are claims of coercion or threats.
In some situations, a discrepancy in personal or professional power could lead to allegations of sexual assault. Under Colorado law, sexual assaults involve sexual penetration or intrusion on another person. The law requires that someone intentionally cause the submission of someone else by means of sufficient consequence.
If you have the authority to fire someone or impact their wages, you could threaten their financial solvency or their employment. Your professional relationship with the other party might lead to allegations of sexual assault in some cases.
Using professional authority to coerce consent can lead to charges
When one person has professional authority over someone else, they can cause significant damage to that other person without necessarily breaking the law. They could give someone a bad performance review or argue against their selection for an upcoming promotion.
A manager who decides to push someone out of a company can set an individual’s career back years. In cases where someone desperately needs income or health insurance, a threat to their employment may seem like a life-and-death matter.
Someone in a position of career authority over another person might leverage that power to solicit sexual favors from the other party. A person might only consent because they feel like their job is at risk if they do not. Although you thought that the situation involved mutual attraction, the other party might make statements later that contradict your perspective on your rendezvous.
Learning more about how Colorado handles different sex crimes can help you avoid breaking the law or fight back against allegations.
