RAINN

RAINN Marks Beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) 2024

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Participation, RAINN, Policy, Volunteering, Survivor, Rape, Supreme court, Nursing

Washington, D.C., April 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On April 1, 2024 RAINN , the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, marks the beginning of Sexual Assault Awarness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) .

Key Points: 
  • Washington, D.C., April 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On April 1, 2024 RAINN , the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, marks the beginning of Sexual Assault Awarness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) .
  • SAAPM is a time where RAINN and our partners raise awareness of sexual violence and the role we can all take in preventing it.
  • April 9, 2024 - Participate in RAINN Day, a day of exponential reach when we ask every RAINN friend, follower and fan to share our National Sexual Assault Hotline.
  • RAINN will also be on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for a day of meetings with legislators and policy advocacy.

RAINN Welcomes HHS Action on Non-Consensual Pelvic Exams in America’s Teaching Hospitals

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 1, 2024
RAINN, Patient, Public policy, Letter, Hospital, Light, HHS, Policy, Breast, Legislation, Nursing

“This letter from HHS is a critical leap forward in protecting patients and medical residents,” said Scott Berkowitz, president and founder of RAINN.

Key Points: 
  • “This letter from HHS is a critical leap forward in protecting patients and medical residents,” said Scott Berkowitz, president and founder of RAINN.
  • “Non-consensual sensitive exams are a shocking problem with a very simple solution: hospitals need to ask patients for consent, clearly and explicitly.
  • “Without consent, sensitive exams are a glaring violation of an anesthetized patient’s autonomy, whose body is being used for teaching purposes, without consent, in a vulnerable hospital setting,” said Stefan Turkheimer, vice president for public policy at RAINN.
  • “Requiring those in the medical profession to respect and obtain consent in all circumstances is a commitment to trauma-informed care and reinforces the importance of treating patients in a vulnerable setting with respect and dignity.”

More Than Two Dozen Former Residents of Good Shepherd Services Allege Sexual Abuse by Nuns, Priests and Staff at Notorious Youth Residential Treatment Facility

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Mental Hygiene, Rape, The Baltimore Sun, Clergy, Sun, RAINN, Child, Maryland Circuit Courts, Rest, Human services, Woman, Complaint, Survivor, Assault, Nun, Safety, Slater, American juvenile justice system, Parent, Maryland Department of Health, State, Department of Human Services, Trauma, Nursing

BALTIMORE, March 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The State of Maryland, Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Maryland Department of Human Services and Maryland Department of Health are being named in a civil lawsuit today alleging that at least 26 individuals were sexually assaulted as children while housed at Good Shepherd Services, a former residential facility for foster care youth. The lawsuit was filed in the Maryland Circuit Court for Baltimore City by attorneys at Slater Slater Schulman LLP, a leading, full-service law firm with decades of experience representing survivors of traumatic and catastrophic events.

Key Points: 
  • Originally opened in 1864, Good Shepherd Services operated until 2017 as a multi-use, state-run residential treatment facility for children in Halethorpe, MD.
  • It housed children with behavioral health issues, as well as foster care youth sent through the Department of Human Services.
  • It also served as a secure facility for children sentenced to correctional incarceration through the Department of Juvenile Services.
  • The abuses at Good Shepherd Services were first reported on by The Baltimore Sun in 2013.

Slater Slater Schulman LLP Files Lawsuit Against Burbank Unified High School on Behalf of a Former Student Who Was Sexually Assaulted at Burroughs High School During Choir Competition

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Complaint, Got Talent, Survivor, RAINN, Dance, Student, Human voice, Secondary school, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Burroughs High School, Slater, Safety, Trauma center, Burbank Unified School District, Star, Child, Male, VMA, Trauma, Assault, Superior court, Rape, Nursing

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by attorneys at Slater Slater Schulman LLP, a leading, full-service law firm with decades of experience representing survivors of traumatic and catastrophic events.

Key Points: 
  • The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by attorneys at Slater Slater Schulman LLP, a leading, full-service law firm with decades of experience representing survivors of traumatic and catastrophic events.
  • As detailed in the complaint, the plaintiff was a 16-year-old student at The John Burroughs ("Burroughs") High School in the school's nationally acclaimed Vocal Music Association.
  • Burroughs High School and the Burbank Unified School District host the annual John Burroughs Music Showcase, a two-day show choir competition at which more than 40 choir groups perform.
  • While the plaintiff was waiting to be picked up, a male student at the high school who was also in the choir sexually assaulted her on school grounds.

Aldous\Walker Attorney Named to National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 19, 2024
George Washington University, RAINN, Lawyer, Phi Beta Kappa, Injury, City Year, University, Personal injury, Brain damage, AmeriCorps, Dallas Bar Association, Nursing

DALLAS, Feb. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Aldous\Walker is pleased to announce that attorney Eleanor Aldous has been selected for membership in The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, an invitation-only organization for trial lawyers practicing civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense law. 

Key Points: 
  • DALLAS, Feb. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Aldous\Walker is pleased to announce that attorney Eleanor Aldous has been selected for membership in The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, an invitation-only organization for trial lawyers practicing civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense law.
  • The National Trial Lawyers describes the Top 40 as including the most qualified attorneys from each state who demonstrate superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence and stature.
  • To select the Top 40 Under 40, The National Trial Lawyers measures candidates by objective qualifications, selecting attorneys who have superior trial results and who show leadership as lawyers under the age of 40.
  • To read more about The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, click here.

Approximately 1,800 Survivors of Sexual Assault File Lawsuits Against New York For Being Sexually Assaulted by Correctional Staff While Incarcerated

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
New York (state), Woman, Safety, City, NYS, RAINN, Psychological abuse, Legislation, Rape, Justice, Prison, Shame, American Correctional Association, DOC, Trauma, Male, Embarrassment, Rehabilitation, Survivor, Correctional Services Corporation, Alabama Department of Corrections, ASA, Prisoner, Slater, Medicine, Human Rights Watch, Textile, Nursing, NYPD, Correction, State

NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2023  /PRNewswire/ -- The State of New York, the City of New York, and 20 counties are among the defendants that have been named in a series of individual civil actions alleging that as many as 1,771 individuals were sexually assaulted while incarcerated in facilities run by the New York State Department of Correctional Services (DOCS), the New York City Department of Correction (DOC), and county-run Departments of Correction throughout New York State. The lawsuits were filed under the Adult Survivors Act ("ASA") by attorneys at Slater Slater Schulman LLP, a leading, full-service law firm with decades of experience representing survivors of traumatic and catastrophic events.

Key Points: 
  • Slater Slater Schulman LLP represents the largest number of survivors of prison abuse committed in New York State.
  • "Our clients endured absolute horrors while incarcerated in New York State – each story is worse than the next.
  • The ASA's extended window for filing lawsuits constituted a significant milestone in addressing the profound abuse endured by these survivors.
  • NOTE: Individuals seeking to be linked to resources for sexual assault survivors can call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.

SENATE MOVES TO END RAPE KIT BACKLOG: Votes to Renew Debbie Smith Act-Most Effective Anti-Rape Legislation

Retrieved on: 
Monday, November 6, 2023
Debbie Smith Act, Survivor, RAINN, Congress, Crime, CODIS, Rape, FBI, House, Senate, DNA, Birth control

The bill provides critical funding to public crime laboratories to efficiently and swiftly test DNA evidence, including rape kits.

Key Points: 
  • The bill provides critical funding to public crime laboratories to efficiently and swiftly test DNA evidence, including rape kits.
  • "The Debbie Smith Act has been the most effective anti-rape legislation that Congress has ever passed," said Scott Berkowitz, RAINN's founder and president.
  • Since the Debbie Smith Act became law, more than 860,000 DNA cases have been processed.
  • John Cornyn (R-TX), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and the late Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and to Debbie Smith herself.

RAINN-Supported Legislation to Rescue Children Who are Being Sexually Exploited Online Passes U.S. Senate

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Philanthropy, Public Safety, Consumer, Technology, White House, Federal Government, Social Activism, Teens, Online Privacy, Foundation, Children, Communications, Other Philanthropy, Public Policy, Government, Child, RAINN, Congress, Project Safe Childhood, Legislation, Justice minister, Justice, U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legislative Affairs, CSAM, House, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, IP, Sens, Senate, Private investigator

The Senate just passed a bill to prioritize the rescue of children who are sexually abused and exploited online.

Key Points: 
  • The Senate just passed a bill to prioritize the rescue of children who are sexually abused and exploited online.
  • In 2020, for the first time ever, over half of those accessing the RAINN National Sexual Assault online hotline were children, and this has consistently been the case since.
  • The Project Safe Childhood Act will require the U.S. Attorney General to develop and disseminate best practices for the prioritization of cases involving online child sexual exploitation.
  • The bill will also fund an additional 20 federal prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice dedicated to these cases.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Press Conference on Closing the Voluntary Intoxication Loophole for Survivors in New York

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 23, 2023
State Assembly, RAINN, Legislation, State legislature (United States), 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis, Assembly, Public policy, New York State Assembly, Rape, Senate

New York statute requires that mental incapacitation result from a person being under the influence without their agreement.

Key Points: 
  • Unfortunately, New York statute requires that mental incapacitation results from a person being under the influence without their agreement.
  • This creates what is today called the Voluntary Intoxication Loophole i.e.
  • if the victim has themselves voluntarily become intoxicated, the rape statute does not apply.
  • In New York, there are two bills to close this loophole, one in the State Assembly and one in the State Senate.

SCOTT+SCOTT ATTORNEY'S SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS BILL SIGNED INTO LAW BY GOVERNOR NEWSOM

Retrieved on: 
Friday, October 13, 2023
Assembly, Mariska Hargitay, MeToo movement, Hope, RAINN, Survivor, ABA, ERA, Legislation, Abuse, Trauma, Defamation, Cosby, Ultraviolet, ACLU, Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, Assault, Property management, Interior design, Southwestern Law School

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scott+Scott attorney and Southwestern Law School professor Victoria Burke has had her bill AB933 signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in the state of California. This law, initially drafted and proposed by Victoria, is intended to strengthen legal protection for survivors of sexual assault and after a lot of effort, the San Diego-based attorney watched her bill officially become law on October 10, 2023.

Key Points: 
  • SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scott+Scott attorney and Southwestern Law School professor Victoria Burke has had her bill AB933 signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in the state of California.
  • This law, initially drafted and proposed by Victoria, is intended to strengthen legal protection for survivors of sexual assault and after a lot of effort, the San Diego-based attorney watched her bill officially become law on October 10, 2023.
  • Prior to her assault, she was unaware of the many defamation lawsuits being used to silence survivors in the backlash from the #MeToo movement.
  • "I wrote this bill so that all survivors of assault retain their right to speak their truth without fear of retribution.