That fact seemed to be the common thread between the case, and I wondered if being billed with no ability to pay is what brought their cases to the public eye.

That fact seemed to be the common thread between the case, and I wondered if being billed with no ability to pay is what brought their cases to the public eye. If the state had picked up the tab, would they have got away with it? How many similar cases exist where the victim has gone away quietly, too humiliated to complain?