Peters Brovner LLP Sues Fordham University under the Adult Survivors Act

Peters Brovner LLP files Milestone Case for New York’s Adult Survivors Act

NEW YORK (JUNE 5th, 2023) — Peters Brovner LLP filed suit on behalf of former Fordham University student Frank Austin against Fordham University for ignoring repeated warnings and allowing a roommate with a violent history to rape Austin in his dorm room and sexually assault him in another campus building.

State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, sponsor of Adult Survivors Act stated “Frank Austin and every survivor of sexual abuse deserve a chance at justice, which includes holding their abusers accountable. The New York State Legislature passed our Adult Survivors Act for survivors like Austin, and I encourage all survivors to come forward with claims before the one-year period under the law expires on November 23, 2023.”

“An arbitrary statute of limitations should not stand in the way of a survivor’s opportunity to seek justice,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF – Manhattan). “We passed the Adult Survivors Act in 2022, to give people like Francis Austin, who have been kept silent for far too long, an opportunity to finally have their voices heard and hold their abuser or the institution that harbored them accountable. Our laws should not be written to protect abusers and shield them from prosecution. I am proud the Adult Survivors Act has helped to rebalance the scales of justice. I applaud Mr. Austin for his brave decision to speak publicly and remind others that the lookback window to file a previously time-barred case will remain open through November 23, 2023.”

Read the lawsuit here.

Read the full press release here.

Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters Co-Author Lexis Practice Note Article on Employers Reporting Criminal Activities of Their Employees to Law Enforcement

In this Lexis practice note, Lesley Brovner and Mark Peters provide practical guidance regarding employers’ reporting criminal activities of their employees to law enforcement. The article delves into the following topics:

• Federal reporting requirements
• State general criminal reporting requirements
• Potential liability for failure to report and “willful blindness”
• Minimizing risk and liability through internal compliance programs and reporting
• Decreasing risk of claims brought by employees after employers report their alleged crimes

Mark and Lesley have decades of experience in law enforcement, serving at the highest levels of government. Peters Brovner LLP is a boutique law firm focusing on internal investigations, white collar/regulatory defense and litigation.

Read the full article.

Peters Brovner Sues City to Require Planning Transparency

Press release 

Feb 24, 2020

Lawsuit Challenges De Blasio Administration’s Proposal to Curb Hotel Development in New York City

Administration Acted in “Bad Faith” by Attempting to Hide the Economic Impact of the Proposal by Restricting Public Analysis to Only One Area of the City Despite Plans to Apply Proposal Citywide 

Plaintiff Seeks Full Public Accounting of the Impact of the Administration’s Citywide Plan to Require Special Permits for All Future Hotel Construction 

Late last year the De Blasio administration green-lighted a proposal to require that new hotels in the Union Square district obtain “special permits” prior to construction. This is the latest step in what the Mayor, during a rally at the Hotel Trades Council, admitted was a plan to require such special permits for all new hotels to be built anywhere in New York City. The special permit process is so onerous – requiring ULURP review and City Council approval – that it will essentially preclude any new hotel construction.

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