{"id":9179,"date":"2021-06-07T16:57:26","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T20:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=9179"},"modified":"2023-10-29T20:45:02","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T00:45:02","slug":"both-are-abuse-survivors-but-one-can-sue-and-one-cant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-horizon-in-the-news\/syracuse-abuse-adult-survivors-act","title":{"rendered":"Both Are Abuse Survivors, But One Can Sue and One Can\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<p><em>The New York Times<br \/>\n<\/em><em>By David W. Chen<br \/>\n<\/em><em>June 7, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">After months of video calls and group emails, Robert Druger and Robert Bender agreed to meet for the first time on Memorial Day and revisit the places that had caused so much parallel anguish, four decades ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Here, Druger said, was the loading dock at the rear of a Syracuse University residence hall. This was where a charming graduate student who happened to be a former Olympic hurdler had sneaked high school athletes like Druger into his suite, only to groom and molest them later.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">There, Bender pointed, behind the glass doors, was the elevator that he rode up to his room, the day he arrived on campus in 1980. This was where that same Olympian, upon learning Bender was a gymnast, had promised elite training, only to molest him later, as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cWe\u2019re part of a fraternity that we never wanted to be a part of,\u201d Bender said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Separate fraternities, actually, in the eyes of the law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-79elbk\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"css-13n260j ehw59r12\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children\">\n<div class=\"css-tux0zj ehw59r13\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-overlay\">\n<div class=\"css-1i35coy ehw59r14\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-8h527k\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\">While both men were born in 1962, a mere 230 days apart, Bender had just turned 18 when the abuse started, and Druger was still 17. So under New York\u2019s Child Victims Act, Druger has been able to sue Syracuse and other institutions, but Bender has not \u2014 even though they accused the same predator of abusing them in similar locations, starting at the same time.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Now they are teaming up to urge passage of the Adult Survivors Act, which would establish a one-year \u201clook-back window\u201d enabling adult victims like Bender the opportunity to file civil lawsuits in New York, even if any statutes of limitations have run out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">If the Adult Survivors Act passes, New York would join New Jersey as the only states giving survivors who were abused when they were 18 or over a similar look-back window, said Taylor Rayfield, a lawyer for Druger and Bender.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">The\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timesunion.com\/state\/article\/Senate-passes-Adult-Survivors-Act-still-stalled-16222628.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">State Senate passed the bill<\/a>\u00a0last week. And while no organized opposition has emerged, the Assembly has not made it a priority, and the legislative session in Albany ends on Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Bender has tried to generate support for the bill by appearing in a\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/adult-survivors-act\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">public service announcement<\/a>\u00a0produced by Safe Horizon, a victim advocacy group. He has also given\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.syracuse.com\/state\/2021\/05\/should-adults-be-free-to-sue-for-long-ago-sex-abuse-accuser-in-syracuse-case-pushes-for-ny-law.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interviews to local publications<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lohud.com\/story\/opinion\/2021\/05\/20\/ny-abuse-victims-want-adult-survivors-act-pass\/5171752001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">written an opinion piece<\/a>\u00a0with Druger.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-79elbk\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"css-z3e15g\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper-hidden\">\u201cThe distinction between child and adult is arbitrary at best, and exploitative at worst, because in the end, it serves no real purpose except to let perpetrators walk away without facing any consequences for their actions,\u201d the two wrote.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Since the Child Victims Act was enacted in August 2019, more than 5,800 lawsuits have been filed in county courts across New York against individuals and institutions like the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts of America and school districts. The window for claims \u2014 which was extended another year because of the pandemic \u2014 closes on Aug. 13.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/12\/17\/sports\/coaches-sexual-abuse.html\">Sports coaches are named<\/a>\u00a0in hundreds of those lawsuits. One was Conrad Mainwaring, who competed for Antigua in the 1976 Montreal Games and later coached accomplished track stars, including a gold medalist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/espn\/feature\/story\/_\/id\/27244072\/44-years-41-allegations-how-caught-former-olympian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESPN reported<\/a>\u00a0in 2019 that Mainwaring allegedly molested hundreds of young men: at a summer sports camp in Massachusetts, where Mainwaring worked as a counselor; at Syracuse and Colgate, where he studied and worked; at Caltech and U.C.L.A., where he informally coached athletes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Most of the incidents occurred in jurisdictions, like New York, where the statutes of limitations had long since expired. But Mainwaring, 69, was\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/olympics\/trackandfield\/story\/_\/id\/30911697\/former-olympian-conrad-mainwaring-arrested-1970s-assault-charges-massachusetts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">arrested in February<\/a>\u00a0in Los Angeles after being accused of abusing boys at Camp Greylock in the Berkshires after Massachusetts prosecutors contended that the statute froze when Mainwaring left the state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Dean R. Manuel, a Massachusetts-based lawyer for Mainwaring, did not return a call requesting comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">In New York, at least one case other than Druger\u2019s has been filed against Syracuse naming Mainwaring. The plaintiff, John Doe, was a 17-year-old high school athlete who was given a campus tour by Mainwaring, then abused, the complaint alleges.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">To say that Druger bled Syracuse Orange would be an understatement:\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/press.syr.edu\/supressbooks\/824\/misadventures-of-marvin-the\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">His father, Marvin<\/a>, is an<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cny55.com\/features\/the-professor-of-prose\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0emeritus professor<\/a>\u00a0of biology and science education who has taught over 50,000 students. An\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/dailyorange.com\/2015\/03\/professor-emeritus-dedicates-holden-observatory-in-honor-of-late-wife\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">astronomy center in Holden Observatory<\/a>\u00a0is named after his late mother, Patricia. He met his wife on campus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">So Druger, now an ophthalmologist near Syracuse who also owns an aikido dojo, reluctantly sued the university in June 2020 for negligence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\u201cThat\u2019s where I was born,\u201d he said, pointing to Crouse Hospital. \u201cIt\u2019s conflicting \u2014 you love S.U., it\u2019s in your blood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Bender, a native of Cherry Hill, N.J., started a year before Druger and studied illustration. He and his wife, Christina Bothwell, are glass artists in rural central Pennsylvania; until Memorial Day, he had not returned to Syracuse in 25 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">After Druger and Bender, who are both married fathers of three, got to know each other over slices at a Marshall Street pizzeria, they set out for the\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/housingmealplans.syr.edu\/residential-facilities\/residence-halls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brewster Hall<\/a> dorm, accompanied by Kat Thomas, one of their lawyers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">Mainwaring, a graduate student who worked in student housing, lived on the ground floor. Arrayed on his coffee table were psychology journals and books such as \u201cManwatching: A Field Guide to Human Behavior,\u201d by Desmond Morris, Druger remembered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">With his British accent and exuberant personality, the two men recalled, Mainwaring spun tales of Olympic glory and being a black belt in karate and a concert pianist. Then he pretended to shove his palm into the students\u2019 chests. You cannot flinch, he told them, because body control is crucial to athletic success.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">In reality, Bender said, \u201che was trying to deprogram us,\u201d so they wouldn\u2019t react when he touched them inappropriately.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-axufdj evys1bk0\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<p><em>Read the original article here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Adult Survivors Act would help adult survivors of sexual assault like Robert Bener be able to pursue justice and hold abusers accountable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":{"id":9685,"alt_text":"Support children and families in domestic violence shelters","caption":"Peggy Duffy Memorial fund","description":"Support children and families in domestic violence shelters","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":512,"height":512,"file":"2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail.png","filesize":31715,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-300x300.png","width":300,"height":300,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":18595,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-300x300.png"},"thumbnail":{"file":"Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-150x150.png","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":8008,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-150x150.png"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":9684,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail.png"},"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[1419,103,105],"class_list":["post-9179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-horizon-in-the-news","tag-adult-survivors-act","tag-rape","tag-sexual-assault","issue-rape-and-sexual-assault"],"acf":{"page_header_title":"","title_font_size":"42","page_header_excerpt":"","sub-headline_placement":false,"page_header_image":false,"custom_scripts":false,"show_author_bio":false,"original_url":"","related_initiative_title":"Do you need help?","related_initiative_link":"\/emergency","related_initiative_link_text":"Visit our Emergency Page with Current Services","featured_posts":[{"ID":7611,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2020-02-25 22:04:29","post_date_gmt":"2020-02-25 22:04:29","post_content":"<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>At Safe Horizon we know that sexual assault survivors process and heal on their own timeline. Many people need years, or even decades, to come forward, seek help, share their experience, and pursue justice. The reality is that #traumatakestime.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Laws have historically been out of step with the science of trauma and the realities survivors face. Over the years, Safe Horizon has led coalitions of advocates, survivors, and lawmakers, urging the New York State legislature to remove barriers to safety for victims of violence and abuse.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>After working tirelessly for decades, we celebrated a historic victory for survivors when the Adult Survivors Act (ASA) became law in 2022. The ASA made it possible for survivors of sexual violence to seek justice by filing a civil lawsuit against the person who caused them harm, even if the harm occurred many years ago. When the ASA's \u2018lookback window\u2019 closed on November 24, 2023, over 3,000 suits had been filed.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>It is our hope that these lawsuits will finally spur lasting, meaningful change in how our society addresses attitudes towards sexual assault.<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Safe Horizon, the Adult Survivors Act Coalition, and bill sponsors Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal proudly led the statewide, multiyear campaign for the ASA. We could not do this work without this collective support, courage, and determination.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>While the lookback window is closed, we remain committed to fighting for more pathways to justice for survivors.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-more-about-the-adult-survivors-act\">More About the Adult Survivors Act<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>On May 24, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act (ASA) into law, granting survivors of sexual assault an opportunity to heal and seek justice.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The Adult Survivors Act created a special one-year look-back window, allowing survivors whose case or claim had expired outside the statute of limitations, and who were 18 or older when they were sexually assaulted in New York State, to file a lawsuit against the person who harmed them and\/or the negligent institution.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The one-year window allowed survivors to sue, even if they were already outside of the civil statute of limitations.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The ASA window opened on November 24, 2022, and closed on November 24, 2023.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Over 3,000 lawsuits were filed under the ASA. Many people learned about this critical legislation through our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Y_dVGPEBNHw&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.safehorizon.org%2F&amp;source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&amp;feature=emb_logo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PSA<\/a> and raised awareness using our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/programs\/adult-survivors-act-social-media-toolkit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media toolkit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>To watch an ASA Q&amp;A session with our panel of lawyers and legal experts, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=P7ZmJteJKoY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">click here.<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-adult-survivors-act-news-coverage\">Adult Survivors Act News Coverage<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The ASA window may be closed, but we are proud of how many spoke up and advocated on behalf of survivors. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/safe-horizon-in-the-news\/adult-survivors-act-media-wrap-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here for a snapshot of all the outlets we were mentioned in.<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","post_title":"Adult Survivors Act","post_excerpt":"The Adult Survivors Act would help adult survivors of sexual abuse in New York State seek justice in the courts.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"safe-horizon-calls-on-lawmakers-to-pass-the-adult-survivors-act","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-06-10 14:49:31","post_modified_gmt":"2025-06-10 18:49:31","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=7611","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.5 (Yoast SEO 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