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When a person is addicted to drugs, there are many ways they might behave. Some may go to great lengths to hide their addiction from their loved ones while others may instead opt to completely cut them out of their lives. Factors include the drug they are challenged by as well as their personality type.

Millions of Americans suffer from depression, a mental health disorder that causes feelings of inadequacy and despair. The disease can affect anyone, even those whose lives are “good.” There are numerous causes of depression, such as genetics and chemical imbalances. Additionally, certain events in a person’s life can trigger an underlying depression

We know that unusually close relationships between an adult and a child can be suspicious, but often we don’t catch on to the issues until it’s too late. Grooming has been in the news frequently in recent months, with many celebrities being accused of grooming young starlets. But grooming isn’t just something that happens in

Thousands of children become the victim of sex trafficking every year. In New York, there were 454 cases of human trafficking reported in 2019. The pandemic only made trafficking worse, because there were fewer resources for victims to use to escape their abusers. One of the main issues with human trafficking is that victims hide

A person who makes the brave decision to medically transition with the help of a doctor will not have an easy time regardless of the situation. The cruelty of a doctor who decides to take advantage of a young child going through a difficult time is immeasurable. A study found that 47% of transgender people

It’s summer break, and millions of children across the country are enjoying their time in camp. We trust that our children will be safe during their summer activities, but the risk of sexual abuse is an unfortunate reality. Summer camps offer ample opportunity for predators. Camps are often staffed by inexperienced counselors whose backgrounds may

The statute of limitations in New York requires pursuing criminal charges for sexual abuse within five years of the incident. Survivors interested in seeking financial compensation must file a lawsuit within three years of turning 18 years old. These relatively short timeframes have long prevented child sex abuse survivors from having the opportunity to hold

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Child Victims Act into law on February 14, 2019. It allows survivors of sexual abuse to seek civil and criminal action against their abusers regardless of how long ago the incident took place. Typically, the statute of limitations requires initiating criminal action within five years from the abuse date and

Human trafficking is incredibly pervasive, lurking in every community and preying on the vulnerable. In recent years there has been a movement to bring trafficking out in the open and make more people aware of what is happening right in their neighborhoods. The more people whose eyes are opened to these crimes, the better we

For the past six months, a fund has been in operation to compensate survivors of abuse perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein. The Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program, which was established by executors of the Epstein estate, opened officially on June 25, 2020. The program will continue to accept claims from Epstein’s victims through March 2021.

The foster care system was created to protect vulnerable children and place them in an environment where they can be nurtured and cared for. Unfortunately, the system has seen a serious problem with sexual abuse for many years, and there are no signs of stopping. Children are entitled to a safe and healthy home when

Decades after the fact, two men are taking a stand against their former employer for failing to protect them against alleged abuse by their supervisor. Ballard Tackett, 47, and Kelby Ash, 49, worked as paperboys for the Rochester-based Democrat & Chronicle (D&C) and alleged repeated molestation between 1982 and 1985 by Jack I. Lazeroff, who

The Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island filed for bankruptcy in federal court on October 1, 2020. Bishop John O. Barres stated that for various reasons, including the burden of litigation expenses from the more than 200 lawsuits stemming from the Child Victims Act, the diocese “was not going to be able to carry

After spending thirteen years advocating for child sex abuse victims, lawmakers finally saw their hard work pay off. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Child Victims Act on February 14, 2019. This law gives survivors the opportunity to file civil lawsuits against their abusers up until they turn 55 years old. The previous statute of

On February 14, 2019, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Child Victims Act as part of his Justice Agenda. It allows those who were sexually abused as children to pursue legal action despite when the abuse occurred and whether the statute of limitations expired. This law provides victims the opportunity to hold their abuser

Hillary Nappi, Hach & Rose LLP and Ken Belson, The New York Times As featured on:

It is important to know that a pedophile by definition is a person, who is sexually attracted to children. Often a pedophile will seek employment in a position that involves daily contact with children. The pedophile will prey on the shy or troublesome children and those who come from broken or single parent homes. Generally,

Taking the First Step: How to open up to someone about your abuse In our society it has been “taboo” to discuss matters of a sexual nature, in particular childhood sexual abuse. Whether you had feelings about your own sexuality or feelings of a sexual nature toward someone else, these things were just not

Since the New York State Legislature passed the Child Victims Act in late January 2019, our Firm has filed numerous cases on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse. Many of the defendants that have been named in these suits are organizations and institutions that were supposed to protect children, unfortunately they failed at the one

Despite becoming effective in August 2019, many people still haven’t heard about the Child Victims Act that New York Governor George Cuomo passed over a year ago. It’s a groundbreaking new law that extends the deadline for childhood sexual abuse victims to bring criminal charges against their abusers. The three main elements