Will a Victim's Claims of Exaggeration Cause a DV Charge to Be Dismissed

[lawfacts]

A woman in New York called the police about her boyfriend, and based on her report he was charged with domestic violence. The woman wants to know what will happen if she tells the police that she exaggerated her accusations, and that her boyfriend was not violent, or that she won't cooperate with the D.A. -- would they drop the charges and the protection order? He has no prior criminal record.

[Mr. Knowitall]

She should speak to a lawyer of her own before making any statements to the police that might suggest that she made a false police report, as that is a crime. Further, police and prosecutors are habituated to the fact that victims frequently retract their accusations in order to try to protect their abusive partners, so they are not likely to be receptive to the idea that this was truly a case of exaggeration as opposed to yet another case of a victim trying to get the abuser off the hook.