ConsentIQ · Case studies
Duke lacrosse: charged, then declared innocent
What happened
In 2006 three Duke University lacrosse players in North Carolina were indicted on charges including first-degree rape and kidnapping. Two were indicted on 18 April 2006 and the third on 15 May 2006. Their names and faces went around the world.
The rape charges were dropped in January 2007, and the state Attorney General's office took over the rest of the case.
Declared innocent
On 11 April 2007, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper dropped every remaining charge. He said:
"Based on the significant inconsistencies between the evidence and the various accounts given by the accusing witness, we believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges."
On 16 June 2007 the North Carolina State Bar disbarred Mike Nifong, the district attorney who had brought the charges.
What it shows
More than a year of headlines, three young men's names attached to a crime that the state later said they did not commit, and no record of what really happened that night. Cases like this are rare. When they happen, nobody comes out of them whole.
How ConsentIQ helps
ConsentIQ gives both people a clear record of what was agreed, made at the time. You start a session in your web browser and show a QR code. The other person scans it on their own phone, with no app or account, and records their own yes or no. You see one result on screen: consent granted, or not granted. The video is never sent to anyone, and it stays encrypted and private.
A no is recorded just as clearly, and respected. Consent can be withdrawn at any time, and a record doesn't guarantee any legal outcome.