Woman Alleging Her Lawyer Forced Her Into Sex Says She 'Had No Choice'
DENVER (CBS4) - A woman who has filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court against a Denver attorney told CBS4 she was forced into sex.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said lawyer Charles Fife made her pay off her legal debt by bringing her into his polygamist lifestyle.
"I had no choice," the woman said in an on-camera interview in which her face was in shadow and blurred out.
The woman said she was looking for legal representation in a DUI case and that Fife was the only lawyer she could afford. Fife operates the site DUIDenver.com, where he says he specializes in sex crimes.
As the case dragged on, the woman says she ran out of money. She alleges Fife continued the case in exchange for sex.
"The total bill exceeded $11,000. I had given him at the time less than $2,000," she said. "He told me 'Don't worry about the bill.' "
The woman said she was worried that if she didn't give in to Fife's sexual demands he would neglect her case and she might wind up in jail.
She said Fife is a Mormon fundamentalist who wanted her to be folded into a polygamist marriage.
Fife allegedly videotaped their sex acts and gynaecological exams in his office.
Fife eventually hired the woman. She says Fife pressured her to have sex during business hours while other attorneys worked next door.
"He would shut and lock his door and put on music and, as far as they were concerned, what goes on behind closed doors? That's Charlie's business," the woman said.
Many other women were allegedly involved. A hard drive with more than 30,000 videos and photos of obscene sex in Fife's office are all part of the case file.
Fife hasn't tried to settle the case. He declined CBS4's requests for an interview about it.
Officials with the state's Attorney Regulation Counsel said the allegations in the suit are serious enough that Fife could potentially be disbarred. They wouldn't disclose if an investigation into Fife has been launched.
In 2004 Fife's former partner sued him for allegedly drug abuse and having sex with clients. The suit resulted in a nine month suspension, but the claims about the sex with clients were never addressed.
