Now, those groups have taken their case all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court, appealing a ruling in which a district court allowed review of a woman’s communications with a southern Minnesota sexual assault advocacy group in a criminal case.
The groups say any review of their confidential records has a chilling effect on a victim’s willingness to report an assault.
“We know what happens when people are able to get access to their records: Victims stop reporting,” said Rana Alexander, who argued the case before the Supreme Court as executive director of Standpoint, which provides legal services to assault victims.
