Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers
Posted in G+JI Events Lectures
A Book Talk with Deborah Tuerkheimer
Wednesday March 2, 2022
12 PM ET – Virtual Event
Captioned and ASL Interpreted
Presented by the Gender+ Justice Initiative, DC Public Library and Women’s Center.
To kick off Women’s History Month, join us in welcoming Deborah Tuerkheimer, as she discusses her latest book, Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers (HarperCollins, 2021).
Moderated by Deborah Epstein, Professor of Law & Director of Georgetown University Law Center’s Domestic Violence Clinic
In this landmark book, a former prosecutor, legal expert, and leading authority on sexual violence examines why we are primed to disbelieve allegations of sexual abuse—and how we can transform a culture and a legal system structured to dismiss accusers.
Sexual misconduct accusations spark competing claims: her word against his. How do we decide who is telling the truth? The answer comes down to credibility. In Credible, Deborah Tuerkheimer provides a much-needed framework to explain how we perceive credibility, why our perceptions are distorted, and why these distortions harm survivors, particularly those who are marginalized.
The #MeToo movement has exposed how victims have been badly served by a system that is designed not to protect them, but instead to protect the status quo. Drawing on case studies, moving first-hand accounts, science, and the law, Tuerkheimer identifies widespread patterns and their causes, analyzes the role of power, and examines the close, reciprocal relationship between culture and law—guiding us toward accurate credibility judgments and equitable treatment of those whose suffering has long been disregarded.
This event is free and open to all
About the author:
Deborah Tuerkheimer is a research professor of law at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. She teaches and writes in the areas of criminal law, evidence, and feminist legal theory. Tuerkheimer has contributed to many volumes over the years on works addressing sexual misconduct and domestic violence, and feminist legal theory. Besides Credible, she is also the author of Flawed Convictions: “Shaken Baby Syndrome” and the Inertia of Injustice. Prior to joining the Northwestern Law faculty in 2014, Tuerkheimer also taught at DePaul University College of Law, University of Maine School of Law, and served for five years as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office, where she specialized in domestic violence and child abuse prosecution. She earned undergraduate degree from Harvard University, and her JD from Yale Law School.
More info:
Interview: “Credible:” Professor Deborah Tuerkheimer Discusses Her New Book” – Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Purchase Credible – Publisher Page
Accommodation requests can be made at genderjustice@georgetown.edu