When New York’s Adult Survivors Act expired last week, more than 3,700 legal claims had been filed after it suspended the usual legal deadlines to give sexual assault victims one last chance to file lawsuits. The lawsuits came against big-name celebrities and politicians, including Donald Trump, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Harvey Weinstein and Andrew Cuomo. The law was designed to help survivors claim sexual assault experiences that occurred years or even decades ago. By the time the law expired last week, more than 3,700 legal claims had been filed, with many of the last few coming against big-name celebrities and politicians. Here’s a guide to some of the more noteworthy lawsuits. Some notable names included many familiar names from past #MeToo scandals, such as Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein among others. Others were new figures, such as Sean “Diddy” Combs and former New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 after being accused of sexual misconduct.
The lawsuits from high-profile individuals include bizarre yet disturbing cases where powerful celebrities would have taken advantage of the vulnerable. While the accused party in all the lawsuits contested the allegations, the lawsuits are causing ripples across the entertainment and political industries. Victims claim to have faced sexual harassment and unwanted touching; companies and other individuals named in the lawsuit deny all wrongdoing. The Associated Press does not typically name alleged victims of sexual assault in stories unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as some have chosen to do.
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