Pass the Adult Survivors Act
May 26, 2021
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Photo illustration by Jeff Boyer / Times Union
Advocates fought for years to get the Child Victims Act passed and signed into law, and we should be thankful they did.
The law, enacted in 2019, opened a window for past victims of child sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits, providing an avenue to justice that otherwise would have been denied by statutes of limitations. Thousands of New Yorkers filed claims under the law’s provision.
Now, new legislation aims to offer the same opportunity for victims abused later in life. The bill is called the Adult Survivors Act, and as Times Union state politics reporter Edward McKinley recently reported, the legislation seems to be stuck in limbo at the Capitol.
One of the youngest patients Robert Hadden sexually abused under the guise of medical care was a 15-year-old girl visiting the gynecologist for the first time, according to the letter addressed to state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Carl Heastie. One of his oldest victims was 70.
Four of the five bills have companion pieces before the Assembly, but it’s unclear if they’ll be approved before the end of the legislative session on June 10.
N.Y. Senate to pass package of bills overhauling harassment and NDA laws Denis Slattery
ALBANY New York lawmakers are hoping to strengthen protections for survivors of sexual harassment with a package of bills slated to pass the Senate this week.
Senate Democrats are poised to approve the five bills on Tuesday as Gov. Cuomo continues to be dogged by sexual harassment allegations from multiple women, including current and former staffers.
The measures would make state and all public employers subject to the Human Rights Law and ensure legislative and judicial staff who report violations of law and misconduct are not retaliated against among other changes.
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