As New York gears up to unlock an historic window for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, four state legislators are telling their stories in a public service ad.
A two-minute video to be launched on Tuesday in Times Square features Sen. Alessandra Biaggi and Assemblymembers Yuh-Line Niou, Rodneyse Bichotte and Catalina Cruz speaking of their experiences as survivors of sexual abuse, POLITICO has learned. The lawmakers also will outline steps New Yorkers can take for recourse starting Wednesday. That’s the first day of the one-year look-back granted to survivors wishing to file lawsuits against their abusers.
“I think the real important date is Aug. 14, 2020, the closing of the window,” said lawyer James Marsh, who plans to bring hundreds of cases this year, including about 200 alleged victims of a Rockefeller University doctor who has since died. “That’s really the last opportunity we can see in the future of people coming forward. We’ll have a better view of the impact, pluses, minuses and entire scope of this problem.”