Sexual-Assault

Pete Hegseth Dismisses Sexual Assault and Alcohol Abuse Allegations as "Smear Campaign" at Confirmation Hearing

| Importance: 8/10

Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee and dismissed credible sexual assault allegations and documented alcohol abuse as a coordinated “smear campaign” orchestrated by political enemies and the media.

Hegseth faced questions about a …

Pete Hegseth Senate Armed Services Committee cabinet-confirmation sexual-assault alcohol-abuse compromised-appointee defense
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New York Adult Survivors Act Creates Window for Carroll to Sue Trump for Battery

| Importance: 8/10

New York’s Adult Survivors Act (ASA), signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in May 2022, opened a one-year window beginning November 24, 2022, allowing victims of sexual assault to file civil lawsuits regardless of when the abuse occurred, effectively suspending statutes of limitations that …

E. Jean Carroll Donald Trump Kathy Hochul Brad Hoylman Linda Rosenthal adult survivors act sexual assault e. jean carroll new york legislation statute of limitations
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E. Jean Carroll Publicly Accuses Trump of Sexual Assault in New York Magazine

| Importance: 8/10

E. Jean Carroll, a longtime advice columnist and author, published an excerpt from her forthcoming book in New York Magazine alleging that Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in either late 1995 or early 1996. Carroll, who wrote the “Ask E. …

E. Jean Carroll Donald Trump sexual assault e. jean carroll defamation trump personal conduct
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Senate Confirms Kavanaugh 50-48 Despite Sexual Assault Allegations and Severely Limited FBI Investigation

| Importance: 9/10

On October 6, 2018, the Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court by a vote of 50-48, making him the first justice in modern history confirmed with credible sexual assault allegations pending and despite obvious temperament problems that raised serious questions about his fitness for the …

Brett Kavanaugh Susan Collins Joe Manchin Lisa Murkowski Christine Blasey Ford +1 more supreme court sexual assault judicial appointments accountability crisis fbi
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Christine Blasey Ford Delivers Credible, Emotional Testimony Alleging Kavanaugh Sexual Assault, He Responds with Partisan Rant

| Importance: 9/10

On September 27, 2018, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her at a house party in 1982 when she was 15 and he was 17. Ford delivered four hours of credible, detailed, emotionally raw testimony …

Christine Blasey Ford Brett Kavanaugh Lindsey Graham Chuck Grassley Rachel Mitchell supreme court sexual assault judicial appointments accountability crisis
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Michigan State University Agrees to $500 Million Settlement with 332 Nassar Survivors—Largest University Sexual Abuse Settlement in History

| Importance: 10/10

On May 16, 2018, Michigan State University agreed to pay $500 million to settle lawsuits brought by 332 survivors of Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse—the largest settlement ever in a sexual misconduct case involving a university, surpassing Penn State’s $100+ million settlement with Jerry …

Michigan State University Lou Anna Simon John Engler Larry Nassar Kathie Klages +1 more institutional-abuse msu-failures gymnastics settlement cover-up +2 more
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Indianapolis Star Investigation Exposes Nassar Abuse After FBI Sat on Allegations for 14 Months

| Importance: 9/10

On September 12, 2016, the Indianapolis Star published an investigation exposing Larry Nassar’s systematic sexual abuse of gymnasts, breaking the story that the FBI had failed to investigate for over a year. The newspaper investigation, led by reporters who uncovered the FBI’s …

Indianapolis Star Larry Nassar Michigan State University Police USA Gymnastics Federal Bureau of Investigation +3 more investigative-journalism institutional-abuse gymnastics cover-up fbi-failure +2 more
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FBI Indianapolis Field Office Receives Nassar Allegations from USA Gymnastics, Fails to Open Investigation for 14 Months

| Importance: 10/10

On July 28, 2015, officials in the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office met with USA Gymnastics leadership who reported sexual abuse allegations against team doctor Larry Nassar from three young gymnasts. The FBI failed to formally document this meeting, failed to properly handle and document …

Federal Bureau of Investigation W. Jay Abbott Michael Langeman USA Gymnastics Steve Penny +5 more fbi-failure institutional-abuse cover-up gymnastics law-enforcement-failure +2 more
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Senate Passes Franken Amendment Banning Mandatory Arbitration for Sexual Assault Claims by Defense Contractors, 30 Republicans Vote to Protect Corporate Impunity

| Importance: 8/10

The United States Senate passed the Franken Amendment by a 68-30 vote on October 6, 2009, prohibiting defense contractors receiving more than $1 million in Department of Defense funds from requiring employees to resolve sexual assault, battery, or harassment claims through mandatory arbitration. The …

Al Franken Jamie Leigh Jones KBR Halliburton Senate +1 more accountability-crisis corporate-impunity sexual-assault mandatory-arbitration private-military +1 more
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KBR Employee Jamie Leigh Jones Alleges Gang Rape in Iraq, Exposes Systematic Use of Mandatory Arbitration to Shield Contractor Accountability

| Importance: 9/10

On July 28, 2005, KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones, then 22 years old and working her fourth day on the job in Baghdad, alleged she was drugged and gang-raped by KBR coworkers at Camp Hope in the Green Zone. Army doctors examined Jones and found evidence of sexual assault “both vaginally and …

Jamie Leigh Jones KBR Halliburton Ted Poe State Department +2 more private-military corporate-impunity accountability-crisis sexual-assault mandatory-arbitration +1 more
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Maria Farmer reports Epstein/Maxwell assault to FBI, ignored for decade

| Importance: 10/10

Artist Maria Farmer files a report with the FBI detailing sexual assault by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Les Wexner’s estate in Ohio. The FBI takes no action on her complaint for over 10 years, allowing the abuse network to continue operating with apparent impunity despite early …

Maria Farmer Jeffrey Epstein Ghislaine Maxwell FBI Les Wexner epstein-intelligence law-enforcement-failure fbi-coverup victim-ignored sexual-assault +2 more
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