A Brutal Lesson Learned

Today, I withdrew from the case where I represented a youth who has allegedly been abused by her parents. Among other things, the parents, in an ironic twist in which I choose not to appreciate the irony, threatened to sue me for defamation, accusing me of coercing their daughter into making false abuse allegations against them. There are other reasons behind the withdrawl, but the whole experience just makes me ill. I wish I could just wash my hands of it all and not care anymore, but I have a feeling it will continue to weigh on my mind. The experience was good for one thing, though, and that was to get some insight, I think, into what a prosecutor feels when they sincerely believe they are working to protect a child from abuse. I felt like the white knight, riding in to protect this child from her abusive parents. I was going to save her, to be the one person who stood up for her in the system, and fought to give her a chance at a real life in a home free of neglect, substance abuse, and physical and emotional abuse. Then, the whole thing turned on a dime. She didn't want to fight anymore. I was the bad guy. I was the "fucking bitch" who was conspiring to destroy her family. I suppose it was a lesson I needed to learn, but it's been brutal, and I hate it.