OPINION/NEWS/BLOG
Los Angeles (The Karney Report) — WILL JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S SURVIVORS EVER GET JUSTICE AFTER HIS SUICIDE-BUSTLE INTERVIEWS SHARI KARNEY
Here is the story that broke this week-for survivors—for all of us—for those who love and support women and children.
Shari Karney, President and Founder of Roar as One, is interviewed by Bustle magazine on whether Jeffrey Espstein’s survivors will ever get justice after his suicide–Karney answers just that question.
“I just want wanted him to be held accountable for his actions,” Epstein victim Michelle Licata told Miami Herald reporter Julie Brown. “I would never wish that somebody would die, but he took the easy way out.”
“California attorney Shari Karney, president and founder of ROAR as ONE, a nonprofit dedicated to creating “civil rights for survivors who have too long been denied justice and accountability,” tells Bustle that there are a few avenues for survivors of Epstein’s alleged abuse to seek justice, although she ultimately believes “justice died with Epstein.”
She notes that while criminal charges against the financier will go away because there’s no longer a defendant, civil cases against his estate announced by lawyers for some of the women will be able to proceed. Epstein’s lawyers filed a document last month that listed his total assets at about $559 million, Reuters reported. Those civil suits will seek monetary damages, but the sense of closure they can give survivors will be different, according to Karney.
“These victims are not going to be able to face their accuser in court in a criminal proceeding,” she says.
Karney has represented child sex abuse survivors and fought on their behalf for over 30 years.
Karney outlines two other legal avenues that could allow victims to get the justice they seek. They could file civil suits against Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators, or else federal prosecutors could indict some of those co-conspirators. The problem, she says, is that Epstein “was the center of the spokes” on the wheel or web that connected the alleged co-conspirators to his crimes.
“And when you shut him down, you shut down a lot of the whole wheel,” she says, meaning it might be difficult to connect Epstein’s co-conspirators to him without information that he could’ve provided.
“There are multiple victims who claim that Ghislaine Maxwell was a personal participant in recruiting them for Jeffrey Epstein, that she assisted in the scheduling of appointments, multiple victims being delivered to Epstein on a daily basis over an extended period of time,” he told CBS News.
Some good news…This Wednesday, August 14, 2019, a window will open in New York, under a new law, which allows for all victims of child sexual abuse to sue their abuser for money damages no matter how old they are today. The victim must have been under the age of 18 at the time of the sexual abuse. Epstein victims, younger than 18 at the time of any of the sexual abuse, can now sue Epstein and his estate for money damages for the sexual abuse they say they suffered.
“For survivors of Epstein and others, this is very good news indeed,” says Karney.
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RESOURCES FOR SURVIVORS
To learn more about what you can do to help ensure freedom from sexual abuse as a human right, visit Roar as One at www.roaras1.org
To learn more about what you can do to protect children from sexual abuse, visit Darkness to Light at www.D2L.org.
We need to come together, speak up, stand up, and rise up. ACT AS ONE. ROAR AS ONE.
Rise
Organize
Act
Roar as One against rape, sexual assault, harassment, child sexual abuse, and misconduct.
We must recognize and enact laws that protect the fundamental human right to be free of sexual assault, violence, sexual harassment, and child sexual abuse. Enact Federal Civil Rights Legislation for victims of sexual abuse, assault, child sexual abuse. Join our Civil Rights Movement to get legal remedies and recognition of sexual violence as a violation of human civil rights. Help us remove the Statute of Limitations nationwide for sexual assault, sexual abuse, and continuous child sexual abuse, in both civil and criminal courts.
#Me Too
Shari Karney, Survivor, Attorney and Founder of ROAR as ONE, a newly forming nonprofit organization focusing on the rights of action for survivors of all forms of sexual abuse and sexual harassment.
ROAR was created to restore dignity and defend the right to pursue happiness for every person who has suffered through sexual assault, rape, incest, child sexual abuse and been silenced and manipulated for the pleasure of others. Our goal is to ensure equality under the law for survivors of sexual assault and abuse. To create a society and government to defend these rights and allow all voices to speak and be heard.
Shari is currently working on a new book, The Perfect Family: From Pain to Purpose.
“Being sexually abused at such an early age was the scar on my soul. But I feel like it ultimately made me into the person I am today. I understand the journey of life. I had to go through what I went through to be here. But now it’s time to take action to save the next generation of women and children from what we went the
Roar’s goal is to ensure a society and government that defends this right to happiness and to allow all voices to speak and be heard.
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Let your heart go out to all survivors who feel caged, living in shame, grief, and pain. Let us remember that we (you, me, all of us) are the only ones who can make a difference, demand justice, bring compassion to victims, and hold perpetrators legally and morally accountable.
- We ask that you donate even $1.00 for victims of child sex abuse. www.roara1.org. (The cost of an item at The .99 Cents Only Store).
- We ask you not to forget the plight of survivors of child sexual abuse. We ask that you write to your U.S. Senator and Congressperson to support The Child Victims Act–Survivor Civil Rights (The “CVA” for Survivor Civil Rights)
Where do We Go From Here? JUSTICE FOR ALL SURVIVORS
Together we must act to end the “scourge on humanity” of sexual assault. Please help us with the creation of civil rights for survivors.
Call to action:With stories coming out daily coupled with victims left in the wake of the national disaster of sexual assault, we ASK that Presidential candidates like #Senators Harris, #Warren, #Klobuchar, #Sanders, #Gillibrand, Former Vice President #Biden, Governor #Booker #Buttigieg, take up the mantle of child sexual abuse as a cornerstone of your national campaign. Child victims of sexual abuse deserve to have the same national platform, cultural transformation and legislative attention as other pressing issues of our time.
The issue of child sexual abuse is too important to remain silent. Millions of Americans are denied their humanity by sexual violence.
It’s a bipartisan issue. It’s a human rights issue––The civil right to be free of sexual assault and violence. The Child Victim’s Act–Civil Rights for Survivors.
Sexual violence and assault don’t discriminate based on political party, race, sexual orientation, or geography.
My prayer and life’s mission is that some good will come out of it.
From pain to purpose.
Shari Karney, Attorney and Founder of ROAR as ONE, a non-profit organization focusing on the rights of action for survivors of all forms of sexual abuse and sexual harassment.
Shari Karney, Esq. Attorney for child sexual abuse survivors, legal analyst, speaker, author, TV pundit.
“From pain to purpose. Being sexually abused at such an early age was the scar on my soul. But I feel like it ultimately made me into the person I am today. I understand the journey of life. I had to go through what I went through to be here. But now it’s time to take action to save the next generation of women and children from what we went through. Shari Karney, Esq. Author of an upcoming memoir, “The Perfect Family…From Pain to Purpose.
Please support survivors and Roar as One (www.roaras1.org). Our mission is pursuing justice for survivors of sexual assault and violence.
We need to come together, speak up, stand up, rise now. ACT AS ONE. ROAR AS ONE.
Rise
Organize
Act
Restore
We must recognize and enact laws that protect the basic human right to be free of sexual assault and sexual violence.
©Legal Education Unlimited, Inc. (This is a publication of Legal Education Unlimited, Inc.)