Jury clears Cirignano (of assault charges) in gay marriage case

[Ian David]

Source: The Worcester Telegram

Monday, October 22, 2007
Jury clears Cirignano in gay marriage case
By Gary V. Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF


WORCESTER— Larry Cirignano, the former executive director of Catholic Citizenship, was acquitted today on a charge of assaulting a counter-demonstrator at an anti-gay marriage last year outside City Hall.

A Central District Court jury of three men and three women deliberated for about seven hours over two days before finding the 51-year-old Mr. Cirignano not guilty on a charge of assault and battery.

The alleged victim, 28-year-old Sarah Loy of Worcester, said she was standing with a sign in front of the speakers’ podium at the Dec. 16 rally when Mr. Cirignano, one of several speakers at the event, grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her backward into the crowd, causing her to fall to the pavement.

Mr. Cirignano denied the allegations. The defense contended Ms. Loy tripped and fell after being escorted away from the area of the podium by Mr. Cirignano.

Read more: http://www.telegram.com/article/20071022/ALERT01/71022003

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See also:

Jury finds Cirignano not guilty
Ethan Jacobs
[e-mail]

WORCESTER — Larry Cirignano, the former executive director of Catholic Citizenship charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, has been found not guilty by a Worcester County jury. Shortly after resuming deliberations Oct. 22, the jury sent a note to Judge David Despotopulos telling him that they were “at an impasse.” Despotopulos urged them to go back into deliberations, consider every juror’s position carefully and try to come to a unanimous verdict. Just an hour and a half later, at 12:30 p.m., they did.

Cirignano’s attorney Michael Gilleran described the verdict as an act of “justice” and said that it was “not a victory” for the anti-marriage equality side.

In an official statement, he added, “We believe the overwhelming evidence was that the complainant in this case, Sarah Loy, tripped over someone’s foot and was not pushed by Lawrence Cirignano. In addition, the law is clear that since the Let the People Vote rally had a permit to hold its rally and therefore Ms. Loy did not have a right to disrupt that rally by bearing her contrary message into the permitted rally. The judge agreed with our position on this point and dismissed the violation of civil rights charge again Mr. Cirignano. Now the jury has agreed with the defense’s position on the assault and battery charge and exonerated Mr. Cirignano. This is a fortunate result for Mr. Cirignano and the law.”

The charges against Cirignano stem from an incident last December during a rally against civil marriage rights for same-sex couples held by VoteOnMarriage.org at Worcester City Hall. Cirignano was a speaker at the rally, and when Loy, who was at the rally as a counter-protester, entered the VoteOnMarriage crowd with a sign announcing her support for same-sex marriage, Cirignano put his hands on her to move her out of the crowd. She fell to the pavement, where she hit her head. A reporter for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette and a minister both testified that they saw Cirignano push Loy to the ground.

More:
http://baywindows.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=008EC9FBCFF24AD18614290016BE1303&nm=Current+Issue&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&AudID=0813BC739F2044E5A03DCF2DE3FDF7C9&tier=4&id=4C1C3AB4C5C746268D1470BE8C98EC6F