“In 1995, Christy Brzonkala became the first person to sue under the Act over a rape that allegedly occurred in her dormitory room while she was a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. The accused men had been cleared by both a university judicial committee and a criminal grand jury. Although the evidence could not sustain a criminal charge, Brzonkala used the VAWA to bring a civil case against them in federal court. The advantages to feminists of using a civil court to punish an alleged criminal wrong were clear: civil courts require only a preponderance of the evidence (51%) rather than “beyond a reasonable doubt” (99%) to “convict.” Moreover, the standards and procedures are far looser in a civil proceeding. In short, the evidence required to ruin a manโs life was watered down to meet feminist requirements.”
