Full Letter From Roethlisberger’s Accuser To Georgia DA

During the Ben Roethlisberger press conference on Monday afternoon, the DA Fred Bright said the accuser had sent a letter to him several weeks earlier asking that the matter not be pursued.

Courtesy of ESPN, we’ve got the full letter.

The Cliff’s Notes version is that the media attention in the case “would not be in the best interest” of the accuser.

As you know, we represent the complainant in the referenced matter, and it is about that that I write you at this time.
After a great deal of deliberation, our client has instructed us to advise you that she does not want to prosecute this matter further. While I am well aware that the prosecution decision rests with the Distinct Attorney, and not the complaining party, it is appropriate that you be aware of this fact as you make your decision.
What is obvious in looking forward is that a criminal trial would be a very intrusive personal experience for a complainant in the situation, given the extraordinary media attention that would be inevitable. The media coverage to date and the efforts of the media to access our client have been unnerving to say the least.
In short, no matter the outcome of a criminal trial, our client has had sound professional advice since this incident that participating in a public trial would not at all be in her best interest as she goes forward with her life. That is a decision that we, as her attorneys, fully support. As should be clear from what I have said here, this decision does not reflect any recanting of our client’s complaint, but simply a realistic, personal decision as to what is in her best interests, and what it would be like to go through a trial with the expected media attention.
Please let me know if you need any further information.
David Walbert