The family that falsely accuses Tom Robinson is the Ewell family. Mayella Ewell claims that Tom raped her, while her father, Bob Ewell, supports the accusation during the trial.
Atticus Finch’s defense reveals that Mayella’s injuries were more consistent with an attack by a left-handed person, while Tom’s left arm is crippled. The evidence suggests that Bob Ewell beat Mayella after seeing her attempt to kiss Tom, then blamed Tom to protect the family’s reputation.
The Ewells are portrayed as impoverished and socially disreputable, yet the white jury still accepts their accusation over Tom’s testimony. Their surname is sometimes confused with Cunningham, another poor Maycomb family, but the Cunninghams are not responsible for the charge. Bob Ewell later seeks revenge against Atticus and attacks Jem and Scout.