09/30/2026
Recent headlines surrounding a District Attorney’s decision to a reopen an on-campus sexual assault investigation from 2024 have reignited a familiar public question:
“Why didn’t the person who made the report tell the police everything right away?”
The answer is in our brain and body chemistry. Trauma can affect how people process events and even how our memories stored. During a traumatic event, the brain prioritizes survival. It often isn’t clear what happened, yet the survivor knows something awful happened. This woman went to the police for a reason - and it wasn’t to report consensual sexual activity.
Now that there is greater awareness of trauma-informed practices, it is more important than ever that professionals who work with trauma survivors learn how to interview in a way that both gets at the truth and treats the individual with respect. When it is practiced well, trauma-informed interview techniques allow attorneys and law enforcement investigators to uncover the core of a crime, separate the facts from the shame that can cloud a survivor’s account of what happened, and correct for the power imbalances that often play a significant role in delayed or partial reporting.
Every case deserves to be evaluated on its own facts, evidence, and not by judged by a delayed or incomplete report. That means looking beneath the surface, taking the appropriate amount of time to interview a survivor, building trust, and uncovering corroborating evidence.
At Haeggquist & Eck we use these techniques every day to stand up with our clients and help them reclaim their power.
Cornell lawsuit, teach your sons, trauma informed, SA survivor, Survivor Advocate, civil justice
