Legal Storm Brews for Jamie Foxx, Bill Cosby, and Gynecologist Robert Hadden as Adult Survivors Act Deadline Approaches

With just over 24 hours to go before the Adult Survivors Act window closes, data from the state Office of Court Administration showed that nearly 1,400 cases had been filed by almost 1,800 people in New York’s supreme courts since the legislation went into effect on Thanksgiving Day 2022. As of November 1, just under 1,500 claims had been filed in the Court of Claims, with the majority of them by detainees alleging abuse inside prisons and jails, according to state court administrators. The law has been cited in several federal court lawsuits and was upheld as constitutional in January by Manhattan Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan.

Among those named as defendants in the deluge of new sex abuse lawsuits were Jamie Foxx, Bill Cosby, Rikers Island, and disgraced Columbia University gynecologist Robert Hadden. Additionally, lawsuits have been filed against Catholic priests, Franciscan brothers, and religious leaders across New York. Jamie Foxx was accused of sexual assault and battery in a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit. Four women sued the city, alleging they were raped by correction officers while in custody on Rikers Island. Several former patients of Hadden joined hundreds who have already sued the medical institutions where he worked. Cuba Gooding Jr. was sued by Kelsey Harbert, whom he was required to apologize to for groping her at a Manhattan bar.

Former NYPD Officer Meaghan Ciotti alleged rampant abuse she suffered at the hands of fellow Officer Jamie Angelastro in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court, claiming higher-ups retaliated against her after she reported being raped, sexually abused, and stalked by Angelastro. The Adult Survivors Act has allowed victims an opportunity to come forward despite the passage of time and seek redress for the harm they have suffered, said attorney Doug Wigdor. People who wish to file claims under the law have until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.