<\/p>\n
Hudson Valley 360<\/em> Activists lamented state lawmakers\u2019 decision to potentially conclude session for the year early Friday morning without passing a handful of measures to impact survivors of sexual abuse, state health care and more.<\/p>\n Survivors and representatives with Safe Horizon, a nonprofit victim services agency, condemned Assembly leaders and lawmakers Friday for failing to advance the Adult Survivors Act before session\u2019s end, or even bring the measure up for a vote.<\/p>\n The bill, which unanimously passed the Senate on June 3, would give New Yorkers who suffered sexual abuse over the age of 18 one year to file civil lawsuits for past trauma and hold abusers accountable, even if statutes of limitations on those legal claims have expired.<\/p>\n \u201cBy failing to pass the Adult Survivors Act, the Assembly is telling survivors that we do not matter,\u201d said Marissa Hoechstetter, one of more than 200 survivors of sexual abuse by ex-Columbia gynecologist Dr.Robert Hadden.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Assembly\u2019s failure to even bring this widely supported bill to a vote where it surely would have passed also lets us know that they are OK with institutions enabling sexual violence. Their inaction negates their previous good work to extend statutes and take other protective measures. \u201cIn order to stop serial sexual abuse, we need a public reckoning for those institutions that fraudulently conceal violence and protect predators. No matter their age, each victim deserves to be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n The bill, sponsored by Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal, both D-Manhattan, Assembly leaders have not returned requests for comment on the conference\u2019s position on, or reason for, Childhood sex-abuse survivor Gary Greenberg, who was a leading advocate in securing the Child Victims Dozens of survivors of childhood sexual abuse have struggled to secure an attorney to take their case, \u201cLawyers will not take cases where there is not a wealthy abuser or rich institution \u2014 we applaud the \u201cWe must see a victim\u2019s fund, pro-bono work for lawyers and a percentage of lawyers\u2019 winnings going to the fund.\u201d Greenberg thanked Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Lavine, D\u2013Glen Cove, for not bringing the bill to the floor for a vote with flaws intact.<\/p>\n But the majority of survivors argue legal hurdles challenging a handful of victims should not prevent action that will bring thousands justice.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Assembly\u2019s failure to pass the Adult Survivors Act sends the message to survivors that they are not seen, heard or respected,\u201d Safe Horizon CEO Liz Roberts said in a statement Friday. \u201cThe New York State legislature has committed a painful injustice against survivors, proving that laws which favor abusers take precedence over having their wrongdoing recognized and tried in the court of law. We will continue to fight for the rights of survivors until the justice system does exactly that.\u201d<\/p>\n More than 6,000 New Yorkers have filed civil cases under the Child Victims Act since August 2019. The Child Victims Act lookback window ends Aug. 14.<\/p>\n Read the original article here.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cThe Assembly\u2019s failure to pass the Adult Survivors Act sends the message to survivors that they are not seen, heard or respected.” CEO Liz Roberts comments.<\/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-9184","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":"\n 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\n\n\n 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\n\n\n 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\n\n\n 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\n\n\n 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\n\n\n While the lookback window is closed, we remain committed to fighting for more pathways to justice for survivors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\n\n\n 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\n\n\n The one-year window allowed survivors to sue, even if they were already outside of the civil statute of limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ASA window opened on November 24, 2022, and closed on November 24, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over 3,000 lawsuits were filed under the ASA. Many people learned about this critical legislation through our PSA<\/a> and raised awareness using our social media toolkit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To watch an ASA Q&A session with our panel of lawyers and legal experts, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nBy Kate Lisa<\/em>
\nJune 14, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n
\ndied in the Assembly\u2019s Judiciary Committee.<\/p>\n
\nstalling the bill, which is modeled after the Child Victims Act. The Child Victims Act gave child sexual abuse survivors a vehicle to file civil lawsuits against their abusers for incidents that happened before age 18.<\/p>\n
\nAct\u2019s passage, has been in communication with Assembly leaders, and said he believes the Assembly stalled the Adult Survivors Act to examine and amend issues with the measure.<\/p>\n
\nespecially if a victim\u2019s abuser lacks financial wealth or other assets, or was not abused by an institution.<\/p>\n
\nAssembly for taking the time to do its due diligence on the Adult Survivors Act,\u201d Greenberg said. \u201cWe look forward to working with all parties to amend the Child Victims Act and pass an Adult Survivors Act that will allow all victims to obtain justice.<\/p>\nMore About the Adult Survivors Act<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Adult Survivors Act News Coverage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n