A federal court is allowing a sexual assault case to proceed against the United States' second-highest-ranking military official, Gen. John Hyten.
On Thursday, Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald rejected the defense's motions to dismiss the case and to move it to Nebraska, where the officer commanded a base at the time of the alleged assault.
The judge's ruling is notable because usually a case like this would be decided on within the military's justice system.
Gen. Hyten, who is the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was accused of sexually assaulting a female officer in 2017 while on a trip to California.
The allegation came forward after Hyten's nomination to the position, but an Air Force investigation last year cleared him of misconduct accusations — citing insufficient evidence — before his Senate confirmation.
