Wife Says ‘He Never Put One Hand on Me,’ but DV Charge Takes NY Anchorman off Air

It's a continuing saga.  The mere allegation of domestic violence can lead to dire consequences even if disproven, even if recanted by the accuser.

In this case, it's high profile TV anchorman Dominic Carter of NY1 television (New York Daily News, 10/29/09).  He's one of their most-watched news anchors, but he's been yanked off the air.  Why?  Because over a year ago, his wife accused him of DV.  Never mind that she sent a letter to prosecutors a month later saying,

"I have to set the record straight.  My husband never put one hand on me."

Marilyn Carter backed up those words in court on Thursday, October 29th, telling Justice Arnold Etelson that she had lied in claiming Dominic had attacked her.  But despite her withdrawal of her claims, Dominic Carter was taken off the air and placed on an extended leave of absence the same day his wife gave her testimony exonerating him.  "Dominic will not be appearing on New York One," said general manager Steve Paulus.

Reading the whole article, Marilyn Carter's backup story - that she was beaten by a day laborer - doesn't sound overly plausible either.  So when Dominic responded to a question about exactly what had happened this way,

"There are certain things that I can't say because it's personal and private and I don't want to destroy my wife's character,"

it suggests a lot, but says little.  Of course his wife may have been telling the truth in the first place and thought better of it when she cooled down and figured out that she was in the process of destroying her husband's career.  That's the same career that may be her meal ticket.

But the fact is, we'll never know what happened.  That's because only two or possibly three people were present and the day laborer won't be found because Marilyn Carter says she doesn't remember his name.  That leaves her and her husband, and they're not talking.

What we do know is that, in a case in which the complainant has recanted both in writing and under oath in court, the accused has at least temporarily lost his job.  Perhaps more important to Carter, though, is his reputation.  A highly-respected newsman, his reputation as trustworthy is all-important to him.  As he told the court, "In the court of public opinion, if I leave here without an opinion, my career is over."

Would an allegation of car theft that the alleged victim admitted was made up be sufficient to place Dominic Carter under a cloud?  What about a DUI that the officer admitted he fabricated?  Would anyone even notice?

But an allegation of DV - even one that's been recanted twice - is enough to ruin a man's career.

It's the society we live in.  Is it the society we want?

Thanks to Jeremy for the heads-up.

Kathleen Parker's Save the Males Cultural provocateur Kathleen Parker, who was raised by her father and who mothered a pack of boys, makes a humorous case for rescuing the allegedly stronger sex from trends that portend man's cultural demise. Save the Males is a shrewd, amusing, and sure-to-be-controversial look at how men, maleness, and fatherhood have been under siege in American culture for decades. To learn more or to purchase Save the Males, click here.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 9:49 am and is filed under blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. | 290 views | Trackback | Print this page |

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