What happens when a female general counsel in Texas allegedly has her buttocks grabbed in a courthouse? Unfortunately, the answer is not much, and the woman in question is understandably upset about it.
Michelle Acosta is the general counsel of a Houston vegetation management company, but it was following an appearance on behalf of her brother in a child custody matter when family law solo practitioner Allan Manka allegedly touched Acosta without her consent. “He gets a handful of my rear end and squeezed. It wasn’t like a pat: It was a grab and squeeze,” she said. “It really caught me off-guard.”
Here’s a relevant excerpt from the criminal complaint Acosta filed against Manka:
Manka pleaded not guilty, but leader accepted a plea deal under which he will pay a $400 fine and donate $100 to a children’s services nonprofit. He must also complete 90 days of deferred disposition, refrain from all criminal conduct to avoid the charge appearing on his record. Acosta is completely unsatisfied with how the situation was resolved, and posted at length about her experience with Manka on Facebook:
Texas Lawyer has more information on why Manka was offered the plea deal:
Wilson County Attorney Tom Caldwell said Manka’s charge was a Class C misdemeanor, the same level as a traffic ticket, which carries a maximum fine of $500 and no jail time. It’s normal for first-time offenders to receive deferred disposition, he added.
“From a criminal standpoint, from what I’ve seen, it was simple assault. It definitely wasn’t going to rise to something we could charge more severely,” Caldwell said.
“I want a conviction,” Acosta said in an interview with Texas Lawyer. “Giving him deferred adjudication is a small slap on the wrist.”
Female GC Fuming After Plea Deal for Lawyer Who Allegedly Grabbed Her Buttocks [Texas Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.