Jurors found Los Angeles Rams strength and conditioning coach Ted Rath not guilty Friday of three counts of sexual battery.
They deliberated for about an hour before returning the verdict on the misdemeanor offenses stemming from an alleged June 2018 incident.
Rath was accused of touching a neighbor on her buttocks and genitalia while she was asleep in her bed as he was visiting the house of her and her husband.
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Rath, 35, of Moorpark, pleaded not guilty to the accusations. He maintained throughout the investigation and the trial that he did not remember what happened that night and had only “snapshots” of memory. His defense attorneys Vicki Podberesky and Bill Haney argued that this may have happened as a side effect from medication he was taking after suffering a stroke several weeks earlier.
“All I can say is that I’m very grateful the jury was quick in their decision. They saw right through the prosecution’s case and went right to the truth. And that’s all this is about. It’s one of those wonderful moments where the truth really prevailed,” Podberesky said.
Rath declined to comment to The Star after the verdict was read. In the courtroom, he hugged his wife as they both shed tears.
He was facing a year in custody for each misdemeanor count and lifetime registration as a sex offender, “which is something the DA should consider next time they put charges like this,” Podberesky said.
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Rath’s defense team argued that the medication, in combination with the alcohol he consumed that night and his risk for suffering another stroke may have led to hazy memory. Due to his impaired mental state he did not have the ability to form the necessary criminal intent to commit the alleged offenses, the argued.
His defense team said the case should have never been filed. Rath told law enforcement officers he had a medical condition and they didn’t give him the courtesy of investigating it, Haney said.
“He knew from day one that he would be acquitted because they never investigated his medical defense,” Haney said.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Erik Nasarenko prosecuted the case against Rath. Nasarenko walked out of the courtroom Friday as Rath hugged his attorneys.
“Obviously, we’re profoundly disappointed, but we also acknowledge this is the jury process and Mr. Rath was ultimately judged by a jury of his peers who found the defendant to be not guilty,” Nasarenko said. “It’s incredibly difficult for sex assault victims to hear and see that outcome, but ultimately this is the legal process of our state and our country.”
He said the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office files cases when prosecutors believe there’s sufficient evidence to proceed to a jury trial.
“And in this case, we had a victim who had he courage and strength to come forward and speak to what happened to her,” Nasarenko said.
Her statements were supported by multiple witnesses, and Rath’s medical condition would in “no way” have changed the prosecution’s approach to the case, Nasarenko said.
On the night of the alleged incident, Rath and his accuser had gone to a fundraiser earlier in the evening with their spouses and mingled with others from the community. The four later went to a local bar and then to the Moorpark woman’s house.
The Moorpark woman testified she was awoken to hands touching her and saw Rath standing by her bed. She pretended to mistake him for her husband and said, “not tonight, babe,” that she was tired, she testified.
The Star does not generally identify people who may be the victim of sex crimes.
Then the hands froze, she said. Nasarenko argued that Rath was allegedly cogent enough in the moment to recognize her words and stop.
Rath has been on a leave of absence from the football team headquartered in the Conejo Valley while his case was ongoing.
“We are aware of today’s verdict. Now that this trial is complete, we will revisit Ted Rath’s status. In addition, we will continue to assist the NFL as it completes its separate investigation,” the team said Friday in a statement.
Megan Diskin is a courts and breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach her at megan.diskin@vcstar.com or 805-437-0258.