Safe Horizon Launches PSA Campaign @ Times Square About Adult Survivors Act

NEW YORK, NY (11/18/2022) (readMedia)-- Today, Safe Horizon launched a video and still photo PSA campaign about the Adult Survivors Act in Times Square featuring survivors of sex abuse – including Evelyn Yang, Drew Dixon, Marissa Hoechstetter, Donna Hylton, Alison Turkos and others. The ASA is a law that provides a one-year look back window for sexual abuse survivors who are outside the statute of limitations to sue their abuser in court. Any survivor who was sexually assaulted as an adult can now file a civil claim, even if the statute of limitation has expired.It goes into effect on November 24, 2022, at which point survivors will have one year to file a civil suit. The window closes on November 23, 2023.

WATCH the press conference here.

The PSA campaign is designed to inform adult survivors of sexual abuse about their options under the soon-to-open lookback window. The campaign includes survivors: Evelyn Yang, Drew Dixon, Marissa Hoechstetter, Donna Hylton, Alison Turkos, Audrey Johnson, Robert Bender and Alec Govi, as well as the sponsors of the legislation, Senator Brad Hoylman and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal. The PSA – which started on Monday – will air in Times Square for a week and also run digitally on social media platforms.

Safe Horizon also released a new webinar for survivors who might be interested in filing an Adult Survivors Act lawsuit. The one hour video features expert answers from attorneys Mariann Wang, Laura Edidin, Kevin Mintzer, Carrie Goldberg, Kat Thomas and Jeff Fritz, to frequently asked questions about the legal process.

"So many courageous survivors fought for this bill - it is their powerful voices that made the Adult Survivors Act a reality. We stand in solidarity with all survivors who choose to come forward during the lookback window, and with those who don't, and hope that every survivor is able to find a pathway to healing," said Liz Roberts, Safe Horizon CEO.

"The ASA will allow survivors who have been burdened for so long by their pain to rebuild and heal in a world that finally acknowledges their truth and their trauma. The opening of this lookback window is a parting of the clouds for victims of sex crimes in New York, and I'm so grateful for it," said Drew Dixon, survivor.

Today is a triumphant day with survivors standing together to launch the Adult Survivors Act in NY. This bill validates what all survivors know- processing trauma from sexual violence takes time. Outing sexual predators takes time. My former OBGYN Robert Hadden is just one example. He abused hundreds of patients over decades and now, because of the work of survivors, everyone who was outside the statute now has a year to file a civil claim. If you're thinking about taking action, know that you are not alone. It's your right to fight for accountability. It's your right to be heard," said Evelyn Yang, survivor.

"The Adult Survivors Act is about giving people a voice in how they choose to heal from harm done to them. Whether or not a survivor exercises their right to pursue civil justice under this law is completely up to them. Nonetheless, we're putting the power back in the hands of survivors. That's what matters. That's the message this sends to those individuals and institutions who perpetuate a culture of sexual violence," said Marissa Hoechstetter, survivor.

"The ASA is an important step in signaling to those who've been sexually abused that what happened to them was wrong, and that we are not to blame for the abuse - even for those who opt not take legal action. Other states now have New York as a precedent for revising the statutes of limitations around these claims," said Alec Govi, survivor.

"The Adult Survivors Act (ASA) is grounded in community and accountability. The ASA became law because of the relentless work of survivors who shared their stories, supported one another for years, and took extraordinary action. I am grateful to be in community with an outstanding group of survivors who made this historic moment possible. Today we want survivors and victims who are considering filing a lawsuit to know they aren't alone, we're here for them. Survivors are magic," said Alison Turkos, survivor.

State Senator Brad Hoylman said, "We passed the Adult Survivors Act because for too long, survivors of sexual abuse were shut out of the courthouse by New York State's formerly inadequate statutes of limitations. Survivors of horrific trauma deserve our support whenever they decide they are ready to pursue justice. I am proud to support these survivors as they seek the justice that was long denied to them."

"After suffering through the pain and trauma of sexual assault, many survivors toil with the decision to come forward, only to be told that the statute of limitations has expired and that there is no way to hold their abuser accountable in a court of law," said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, sponsor of the Adult Survivors Act. Because of the passage of the Adult Survivors Act into law, a one-year lookback window opens tomorrow, finally allowing these survivors their first chance at justice, and hopefully, some healing. In 2019, I was proud to be the sponsor of the Child Victims Act, which provided the opportunity to adults who were sexually abused as children to take their power back and seek justice in the courts. New York State will now provide this same opportunity to those who were abused as adults."

"Governor Hochul and her administration are proud to stand with survivors. Sexual abuse is a human rights violation and its impact is multiplied when it goes unpunished. This legislation affirms survivors' human rights by giving them access to justice. New York State will continue to be a model for supporting survivors and centering their needs and lived experiences," said Commissioner for the NYS Division of Human Rights Maria L. Imperial.

The ASA is based on the Child Victims Act (CVA,) which both extended the criminal & civil statutes of limitations forward and created a one-year lookback window (later extended due to COVID's impact on the courts) to allow time-barred survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue their abusers & negligent institutions in civil court. Over 10,000 survivors filed civil lawsuits in New York during the two years that the lookback window was open. Safe Horizon also released a PSA for the Child Victims Act (CVA) which applied to survivors who were under 18 years old at the time of their abuse.

Recognizing that the constrained time limits in NY's statutes were not in line with what experts understand about trauma, the legislature in 2019 passed the CVA and extended the civil and criminal statute of limitations for several felony offenses -- including extending the civil statute of limitations for Rape in the second and third degrees prospectively up to 20 years. However, the law does not apply retroactively, meaning that certain survivors who were abused prior to 2019, still have only between 1-5 years to file a civil lawsuit.

The ASA applies to Article 130 crimes, including Rape 2 and 3, criminal sex acts, among others and incest offenses in Section 255. Just like the Child Victims Act, the ASA would also waive the 90 day notice of claim requirement to bring a case against a public institution.

The ASA will create new paths to justice for survivors who were denied access to our courts because of an artificially narrow statute of limitations. The bill will give all survivors, including people who were formerly incarcerated, individuals abused by an intimate partner, and disabled survivors, a much needed chance to hold their abusers accountable.