PBS News Hour Interviews Mariann Wang About Necessary Change in Laws on Sex Assault Claims

Mariann Wang discussed why and how laws imposing stringent deadlines on those who have suffered sexual abuse and assault are unfair and need changing. Click here for the interview.

PBS NewsHour

Survivors of Sexual Assault Face Unfair Deadlines: Mariann Wang Speaks on NPR about New York’s Adult Survivors Act

The deadline for filing claims for sexual assault that are revived by New York’s Adult Survivors Act was November 23, 2023.  Mariann Wang was interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered to discuss the closing of the ASA window and its impact.

Housing Discrimination Enforcement Action Settled

Cuti Hecker Wang has successfully settled enforcement litigation regarding the breach of a landmark settlement agreement.  In 2021, the firm obtained $2.9 million in damages on behalf of a non-profit civil rights organization in a case alleging widespread violation of the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act at the American Copper Buildings, a pair of luxury residential rental towers in Manhattan.  The agreement required extensive remediation of the barriers to access, and when the owners failed to complete the mediation by the deadline, the firm brought another lawsuit, which settled for an additional $800,000 in damages.

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Adult Survivors Act Closing in Six Months

For another six months, survivors of sexual assault who were 18 years old or older at the time of the assault may file claims under New York’s Adult Survivors Act. The window, in which previously stale claims for sexual assault may be revived, opened on November 24, 2022, and will close on November 23, 2023. Mariann Wang was interviewed as part of an Inside City Hall segment discussing the ASA window and the legislation’s critical role in permitting survivors to pursue long overdue justice.

Mariann Wang and Liz Roberts joined "Inside City Hall" to discuss the Adult Survivors Act. (NY1 Photo)

Miller et al. v. City of New York et al.

Cuti Hecker Wang obtained a $53 million settlement on behalf of a class of pre-trial detainees and parolees who claim that the New York City Department of Correction purposefully evaded limitations on the use of solitary confinement by placing inmates in unlawful stealth restrictive housing facilities.  The settlement received extensive coverage in the New York Times, New York Post, and New York Law Journal.  Our co-counsel, Alex Reinert of Cardozo Law School, discussed the settlement on Inside City Hall.

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Sexual Assaults of Transgender Woman on Rikers Island

We recently obtained a $1.4 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by a transgender woman who was sexually assaulted twice during five harrowing days in a jail for male detainees on Rikers Island. The settlement is among the largest of any claim brought by an individual in New York State for sexual assault while in custody.

Adult Survivors Act Soon to Be Law

New York State enacted the Adult Survivors Act to revive claims for sexual assault where the victim was over the age of 18 years old at the time of the assault. On November 24, 2022, a one-year look-back window will open to permit survivors of adult sexual assault to pursue their claims in court no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.

Mariann Wang participated in a Q+A session about the Adult Survivors Act and what it means for survivors seeking justice.

Legal Expert Q&A on the Adult Survivors Act

Prince Andrew’s Shameful Affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein

With Gloria Allred, we have represented dozens of individuals who were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein. We stood with them as they bravely told their stories in public, as described in CBS News, NBC News, and The Guardian. We successfully obtained compensation for their harms in court and through the Epstein Victims Compensation Program.

Recently, we spoke out to discuss how shameful it is that Prince Andrew continues to reap the privileges of his position, even after associating with Epstein for years. Mariann Wang spoke about this to The Guardian and The Daily Mail.

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Biased NYPD Sexual Assault Investigations

On behalf of two sexual assault survivors, Cuti Hecker Wang attorneys filed suit against New York City alleging sex discrimination in the inadequate provision of police and investigative services to victims of rape and sexual assault. Read news coverage highlighting our lawsuit.  On June 30, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a systemic investigation into the NYPD’s gender-biased policing practices.

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Redistricting Litigation

The firm represents the New York Senate in connection with ongoing litigation relating to the constitutionality of the Congressional, Senate, and Assembly lines that were drawn earlier in 2022.  On April 4, 2022, the firm obtained a stay of enforcement of the trial court’s ruling from the Appellate Division, Fourth Department. On April 20, 2022, Alice Reiter argued the appeal before the Appellate Division.