Victims say they are devastated after San Francisco Superior Court shockingly dismissed over 70 cases against accused domestic abusers, sex offenders and drunk drivers. 

The crisis unfolded this week due to a ruling in July where a suspect successfully argued their constitutional right to a speedy trial was violated by delays caused by COVID-19, which was subsequently applied to other outstanding cases. 

The Superior Court blamed the San Francisco DA’s Office for the delays, which countered it was not their ‘responsibility to manage the court’s caseload.’ 

For alleged domestic abuse victim Melissa Bonilla, the decision marks the end of a two-year ordeal for justice that has left her in ‘shock’ before her case ever went to trial. 

‘Very frustrated, because it’s two years waiting for this and then, one day, no more. I’m in shock now,’ she told ABC7News. 

Melissa Bonilla, an alleged victim of domestic violence, said she was left ‘in shock’ as her case was one of 74 to be dismissed before ever going to trial due to COVID-19 case backlogs 

Bonilla’s case was one of 74 that were dismissed this week due to the technicality, leaving a number of alleged victims and their supporters heartbroken. 

Anastacio White, who was in Superior Court to support a victim, told ABC7 that she was floored by the move, and felt it is ‘not right’ that criminals will walk free. 

‘It could be a bank robber, raper, child molester, no matter what, you’re just dismissed,’ she said. 

Each of the 74 defendants were charged between early 2022 and April 2024, including DUIs, sexual battery and deadly driving, and benefitted from a huge backload of cases at the Superior Court that built up during the pandemic. 

The San Francisco public defender’s office said it had raised the issue a number of times, but defended the decision to dismiss the cases this week as it laid the blame on the court’s mismanagement. 

‘Our clients have a constitutional right, just like the victims do,’ said public defender Jacque Wilson. 

Critics pointed to mismanagement specifically at San Francisco Superior Court (pictured), saying that ‘unlike other counties’, it failed to clear its COVID-19 caseload

‘And it was our clients’ rights that were violated time and time and time and time and time again. 

‘There were half of dozen victims who spoke and as a public defender, we obviously don’t leave our humanity at the door for those who felt like they were victims. 

San Francisco public defender Jacque Wilson said he ‘felt’ for the victims, but insisted that it is ‘my job to protect the rights’ of defendants 

‘I felt for them. At the end of the day, it’s the courts and the DAs office who are supposed to protect their rights. At the end of the day, it’s my job to protect the rights of our clients.’  

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office released a scathing statement after the decision, slamming the Superior Court for failing to clear its caseload. 

‘The Superior Court’s Order today, unlike courts in other counties in the post-COVID era that have worked through case backlogs, has unfortunately stripped victims of justice and robbed defendants of their rights,’ the statement read. 

‘It is not the responsibility of the District Attorney’s Office to manage the Court’s caseload.’ 

But the DA’s office was the one blamed by Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massulo when she handed down the decision dismissing the 74 cases this week, citing the original July ruling. 

She said at the time: ‘We hope that the District Attorney’s Office will prioritize cases appropriately so that justice can be served.’ 

Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massulo (pictured) slammed the DA’s office in her ruling, saying she hopes in the future it ‘will prioritize cases appropriately so that justice can be served’

Prithika Balakrishnan, a law professor at UC Law SF, told ABC7 that in her opinion, the reason many alleged victims may never see justice is down to the Superior Court, feeling it is ‘a situation that the courts themselves placed themselves into.’ 

‘San Francisco has not attempted to recover from COVID and to push these cases to trial, despite there being open courtrooms, or even civil cases that were taking up court space,’ she said. 

For alleged victims such as Bonilla, the decision is the end of a painful ordeal under a system intended to help her. 

‘It’s very bad because many victims of domestic violence, we need representation and we need support because we feel like it’s not correct,’ she concluded.