It's long, lonely and damn difficult, but I'm only partway through this. The real issue is what it is doing to, in this particular case, the woman who was directly the victim here and how she was made powerless even though she tried.
The entire institutional weight, influence, power, intellect and knowledge is directed against her rather than what it's purportedly supposed to be, and that's supporting her and her case. Equal justice for all is not being applied here at all. It's protecting—particularly if the individual is of a more senior position or higher rank.
I don't know what other characteristics are at play, but it's not based upon parity.