Fighting Lies with Truth: How Attorney Graven Craig Helped Expose Junk Science and Free an Innocent Father
This episode of Labyrinths podcast follows the story of Kevin Plantan, who was falsely accused of raping his nonverbal autistic daughter based on allegations derived from facilitated communication (FC)—a discredited technique where a facilitator guides a disabled person’s hand to type messages. The accusations emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Kevin’s daughter, who had been using FC with an occupational therapist, suddenly began producing seemingly advanced communications.
Kevin was jailed for ten months before his friend helped connect him with Graven Craig, a seasoned Virginia defense attorney. Graven immediately understood the danger of relying on FC, coordinated with leading experts like Dr. Howard Shane, and devised a legal strategy centered on a double-blind test to prove the technique was invalid. The charges were dropped when the girl’s mother refused to participate in the test after initially agreeing.
Graven also exposed that the criminal case was being used in family court as leverage to strip Kevin of parental rights. Despite the dismissal of charges, a family court judge still believes the FC-generated accusations, denying Kevin any contact with his daughter. Kevin now seeks legal reform in Virginia, greater public awareness, and financial support to appeal the ongoing family court rulings. He credits Graven Craig’s legal insight and strategic defense as instrumental in winning his release and proving his innocence.
