Adult sexual abuse survivors can sue sex offenders in New York even if their claim limitation period has expired. Under state law that took effect on Thursday,
New law gives adult survivors the right to sexual abuse One year to file against the offender It also allows people who experience sexual harassment at work or in the care of an institution such as a hospital or prison to sue the agency, said Doug Wigdor, an attorney who helped drive the law. New York Adult Survivors Act Law Sexual Abuse Claims.
“I think there will be some interesting cases that come up in employment cases. in which powerful men who take care of women or take care of women sexually assaulting them And they can be held accountable to the perpetrators, including their employers,” said Wigdor, representing the women involved in the crime.
Testimony to movie mogul Harvey WeinsteinThe New York verdict on rape and felony sex offences was upheld this year.
A new window to litigation in New York gives adult sexual abuse survivors who may otherwise be unable to act on what happened to them. More time to ask for helpsaid Jane Manning, a former sex crimes prosecutor and now head of the Women’s Equal Justice Project in the state.
The measure mirrors the Child Victims Act 2019, which has a two-year period. Temporarily extends the New York time limit. in nearly 11,000 child sex abuse cases, said Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the New York State Judicial Office.
“Sexual assault is a very traumatic crime. Trauma by itself takes time to process,” Manning says. happen in real life
“Because of this, there are survivors who don’t know what happened to them as a sexual assault. until some time has passed And there may be a lot of self-blame for having to fight. Even if there is no reason to blame yourself,” she said.
It is important to give adult sexual abuse survivors an opportunity to seek help through the civil justice system. Because they are often failed by the criminal justice system, Manning said.
“Too often in the criminal justice system, We still have too many prosecutors who refuse to go to trial for sex crimes just because they think they’re hard to beat,” she said. “That’s not a good reason to turn down sex crimes. case But it stands to reason that survivors still hear from too many prosecutors.”
Attorney Adam Slater said: A separate lawsuit will be filed under the new law on behalf of more than 750 women who allege they have been sexually assaulted in New York state prisons.
“The inmate-guard relationship is one of the most severe power imbalances that exists today,” Slater said. “Under New York state law, Persons in correctional custody cannot legally obtain consent. Officers and bodyguards in these brothels have an arsenal of unmatched methods for demonstrating their will to victims: detention, coercion, confiscation and total environmental control.”
New York Department of Corrections and Community Oversight “There is no tolerance for sexual harassment. sexual harassment and unauthorized relationships,” the agency said in a statement, saying it “carefully reviews all reports of sexual victimization. Including unauthorized relationships and any response Individuals who report incidents or cooperate with those investigations.
“Officers have a duty to insist on reporting knowledge, suspicion or information about incidents of sexual harassment or sexual harassment. and unauthorized relationships,” the report states.
“Persons who violate the Department’s rules will be subject to disciplinary action by the Department. and where evidence of a crime has been committed, DOCCS will refer those cases to criminal prosecution to the fullest extent permitted by law.”
when asked for comment The New York Attorney General’s office referred CNN to the Department of Corrections and Community Oversight. New York Adult Survivors Act Law Sexual Abuse Claims.
E. Jean Carroll, who sued former President Donald Trump for defamation. Said she planned to sue Trump. Under the New York Adult Survivors Act, Carroll accused Trump of forcing her against a wall at Bergdorf Goodman’s dressing room and raping her 27 years ago.
Trump has denied all allegations against him.
Additional lawsuits are expected to be filed on behalf of about 40 more women with a new claim against Columbia University gynecologist Dr. Robert Hadden, attorney for Anthony Dipietro, who represented the women. 230 women accused of sexual harassment by Hadden nearly 150 cases from such cases Convicted before the Adult Survivors Act took effect.
Hadden is due to stand trial next year on charges of defrauding and luring six victims to his New York medical office. and coercing them into unlawful sexual harassment from 1993 to 2012, prosecutors said. Hadden pleaded not guilty.
