The Law Blog of Oklahoma

Soccer Star Hope Solo Responds to Domestic Violence Arrest

Friday, June 27, 2014

Former Olympic soccer star Hope Solo was arrested last week on domestic violence complaints after she was accused of assaulting her 17-year-old nephew and her sister.

According to reports, Solo was attending a family gathering at her sister's home in Seattle when she and her nephew began arguing. The argument quickly escalated to a physical altercation between the two, and allegedly, when Solo's sister tried to intervene, the soccer goalie punched her in the face.

Police responded to the incident after a male caller reported that a woman would not stop "hitting people" and refused to leave the property.

The nephew told police that Solo appeared to be intoxicated when she arrived at the gathering and that she began arguing with him about his acting aspirations. The teen told investigators that his aunt called him "fat and crazy," and the two became involved in a fistfight.

Police noted that Solo appeared "intoxicated and upset." They noted visible injuries on Hope Solo, her sister, and her nephew; however, after questioning people on the scene and finding the soccer player "uncooperative," they determined that she was the instigator of the fight and the primary aggressor. She was arrested on domestic violence complaints and released without bail. She pleaded not guilty earlier this week to two counts of fourth degree domestic violence.

Solo's attorney says that his client is innocent. He argues that she was not the instigator, but rather a victim of domestic violence herself. During the altercation, the teen broke a broom over Solo's head and also pointed a B.B. gun at her in an effort to get her to leave the home.

It would not be the first time Solo claimed to be the victim of domestic violence. In 2012, Solo's fiance (now husband) Jerramy Stevens, a former Seattle Seahawks tight end, was arrested following a domestic disturbance involving Solo. Charges were never filed against Stevens and Solo publicly stated that he never assaulted her.

Also in 2012, Solo accused her "Dancing with the Stars" partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy of being physically abusive during their training for the show. In her memoir, Solo: A Memoir of Hope, the soccer star wrote, "He manhandled me in rehearsals from the start, pushing me, whacking my stomach, bending my arms roughly. I thought that was just how it went -- how dancers worked with each other." While Chmerkovskiy did not issue a statement responding to the allegations, he did allude on Twitter that his accuser was a "hypocrite," a "liar," and an "opportunist."

Whether she is ultimately convicted or exonerated of the domestic abuse charges, Solo's case goes to show that no family is immune to difficulty. Heated emotions, substance abuse, and other issues can quickly accelerate a minor disagreement into a violent situation. For those involved in a violent family dynamic, a protective order may be necessary to document the violence and offer a measure of protection from an abuser. For those accused of domestic violence, a criminal defense lawyer can help protect a defendant from false accusations or inflated charges.

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