[Maru]

It's interesting that she gets pegged the first time, she still moves back into position to confront him verbally and aggressively. People don't do that if they feel scared. They may do that if they are emboldened, but it's possible she was thrown off guard by the first hit.

Also looking at the video, her right elbow is up with her hand getting closer to his face and it looks like her hand touches chest (over his heart), literally right before he bops her. Hard to tell conclusively as it's a pretty quick blur in the video, but I would lean towards she at least having tapped his chest with her finger, which could be enough to constitute assault. It still wasn't at the level that warranted him hitting her back, but I think a fair assessment to say she instigated things a little bit there.

My thought on what happened, she pushed the envelope by provoking him up to that point before and during the video and with her moving in towards him, assertive body language and getting in his face, maybe tapping his chest, he saw it as a "license" then to hit her... it's a dubious defense on its own, but consider maybe he thought if he had escalated the situation with the victim, she would then fight back in kind and it would be make them both willing participants... but instead, he ended up knocking her out, putting him in deeper hot water imo as it will be no question how much intention he had with the strength behind the punch... even if she were guilty of tapping him and making terroristic threats, he can't then claim he was simply defending himself in that matter, not with the way he locked eyes and encouraged the situation.

Dash is correct that assault doesn't require physical contact if there is a threat, i.e., waving a baseball bat at someone, etc. Battery is when actual contact is involved. However, he didn't appear in the video to be in the process of trying to deescalate the threat either. Instead he quite obviously locked eyes with her and seemed more emboldened than threatened. He had a few seconds to think about walking away, to try to move away from her, to put his hands up, to show some resistance or a sign of wanting to leave the confrontation, but absent these actions appear and direct eye contact (sign of aggression) appear to say the opposite...

This video really reminds me of the Ray Rice dilemma (NFL player). The victim ends up later going on TV and having interviews where she basically OK's his behavior... so yeah, I can understand where people are sensitive about making it out as if the victim played a part in enabling the situation, but law enforcement and a judge would hear the details of witnesses and consider the role each played, body language, witness impressions, etc... I think in the case of Ray Rice and his fiance (now his wife ), they were both drunk, so that did play a strong role I think... but even adding in alcohol, that doesn't then enable him to hit her... which is another common scapegoat for domestic violence and bar fights, etc...

Disgusting? Horrible? Criminal? What’s your adjective? They’re all right when it comes to this one.

After TMZ released video of then Ray Rice’s girlfriend, now Ray Rice’s wife Janay Rice getting a vicious left hook to the face, the world exploded and demanded responsibility be taken. The NFL and Baltimore Ravens denied having ever seen the video before the TMZ footage went public, but took steps, albeit late steps, to rectify the situation.

The Baltimore Ravens cut him.
The NFL has suspended him indefinitely.

The Atlantic City DA still seems content with the agreed plea deal to Pre Trial Intervention, which in light of the video seems increasingly egregious. The world is happy to see the punishment meted out to Rice, but it seems like an afterthought to know how Rice’s wife Janay is doing through this.

While cutting Rice was almost the only possible outcome, let’s not forget how the Ravens initially tackled this one. During the farce of a press conference put on by the ever-classless Ravens organization (how’s that Ray Lewis statue doing?), the Ravens were sure to Tweet out, “Janay Rice deeply regrets the role that she played in the night of the incident.” While the Tweet was removed, the Ravens can rest peacefully knowing that we all know the victim is sorry for getting her face in the way.

Youtube video