Levy Konigsberg Partner Anna Kull recently appeared in a featured story aired on WRGB CBS 6 discussing lawsuits being filed by our firm on behalf of former female inmates who were sexually abused at Albany and Rensselaer County jails.
As noted in the CBS 6 segment, Anna and our sexual abuse team are planning to file over 500 civil lawsuits in the coming weeks on behalf of women who were sexually abused while incarcerated at jails and prisons across New York. This includes several lawsuits that have been and will be filed against local area jails in Albany County and Rensselaer County over sexual abuse committed by officers and other facility staff.
In her interview, Anna discusses how the lawsuits raise similar allegations of abuse, including incidents of staff-on-inmate assault that occurred when women were being escorted to and from facility showers. She also comments on how many of these claims involve abuse that occurred years or decades ago, and how female inmates have faced considerable challenges that deterred them from stepping forward with their claims. As Anna told CBS:
“People are scared to come forward for obvious reasons. They are afraid of retaliation and there are no safeguards currently in place, or the ones that are in place are ineffective. They’re not keeping people safe. So, women are suffering in silence, essentially. And that’s further perpetrating these crimes.”
Coverage of LK’s Sex Abuse Cases Ramps Up as NY Adult Survivors Act Window Deadline Approaches
These lawsuits, which give survivors an opportunity to hold local and state agencies accountable for failing to prevent abuse, were filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act. Enacted in May 2022, the Act created a temporary one-year lookback window during which survivors of sexual abuse can file civil lawsuits regardless of how long ago their abuse occurred.
In recent weeks, Anna and our firm have received significant coverage for our work helping clients who were sexually abused in New York women’s jails and prisons pursue justice under the Adult Survivors Act. That’s because many of these cases are finally being filed in courts across the state, and because the Act’s temporary window will soon be closed.
Per the Act, the temporary filing window will close on November 24, 2023.
As our team at Levy Konigsberg continues to work on the hundreds of cases we currently have on our docket, we want it to be known that we are readily available to speak with other survivors about their potential claims. Given that the deadline is fast approaching, we encourage any survivor with questions about their rights to contact our firm as soon as possible.
If you have questions about pursuing a civil lawsuit over sexual abuse that occurred at any women’s jail or prison in New York at any time in the past, Partner Anna Kull and our sexual abuse team are standing by to help. Our firm serves survivors statewide and offers FREE and confidential consultations. To speak with a lawyer, call (800) 315-3806 or contact us online.
You can view the full CBS 6 segment featuring Partner Anna Kull here. For more information about our latest efforts leading up to the closing of the NY Adult Survivors Act’s temporary filing window, visit our blog.
