September 11, 2016 | Sex & Society

Dharun Ravi conviction overturned

On Friday, a New Jersey appeals court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial for Dharun Ravi, who was found guilty four years ago of invasion of privacy and bias intimidation after using a webcam to secretly film his college roommate Tyler Clementi having sex with another man. Days later, Clementi killed himself.

Attorneys for Ravi argued that a recent change in New Jersey’s bias law should nullify their client's conviction. The court also found that evidence presented by the prosecution during Ravi's trial ultimately tainted the jury's verdict.

The court still did condemn the conduct of Ravi and his friends:

“The social environment that transformed a private act of sexual intimacy into a grotesque voyeuristic spectacle must be unequivocally condemned in the strongest possible way . . . All of the young men and women who had any association with this tragedy must pause to reflect and assess whether this experience has cast an indelible moral shadow on their character."

Criminal charges were filed against Ravi in 2010 soon after Clementi, his college roommate, killed himself. Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge days after Ravi shared the webcam footage with other students.

After his conviction, Ravi served twenty days in a county jail and was ordered to pay more than $11,000 in fines. He also completed over 300 hours of community service and was on probation until this year.

Ravi maintains his actions were motivated by stupidity, not homophobia. "I didn't act out of hate and I wasn't uncomfortable with Tyler being gay," he said.

In a statement issued after the court ruling, Clementi's parents, said the ruling "shows us how much more work there is to be done, and will push us forward with stronger determination to create a kinder more empathic society where every person is valued and respected."

No date has been set for a new trial.

Dharun Ravi conviction overturned in Tyler Clementi case [Advocate]