Former boxer Mike Tyson is the latest notable figure to be sued under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, a new state law which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations in sexual assault cases.
In a lawsuit filed earlier this month, a woman alleged Tyson sexually assaulted her in the 1990s after meeting at a club in Albany, New York. Her name is being withheld in order to avoid scrutiny and media attention, according to court documents.
“I suffered and continue to suffer from physical, psychological and emotional injury,” said the victim, who is seeking $5 million in damages, in an affidavit. An agency representing Tyson did not respond to requests for comment.
Tyson previously served three years in prison after he was convicted of raping Desiree Washington, a beauty pageant contestant, in 1992.
The recent lawsuit was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, which went into effect in November and opened a one-year window for victims of sexual assault to file claims regardless of the statute of limitations. It parallels New York’s Child Victims Act, which allowed childhood victims of assault to file charges under a similar window in 2019, bringing about more than 10,000 cases.
With numerous cases against former politicians, investors and media networks across New York, Tyson’s lawsuit is among the most recent in a slew of charges filed against high-profile men under the act in the past few months, which also allows for institutions involved in sexual abuse cases to be held accountable.
Roger Ailes
A Jan. 25 lawsuit filed by a former Fox News employee alleged decades of abuse at the hands of Roger Ailes, the former CEO and chairman of Fox News who died in 2017. Laura Luhn, who began working at Fox News in 1996, claimed Ailes blackmailed her from speaking out by threatening to release compromising images and photos.
Fox News and Bill Shine, a former producer and executive at the network, were also named in Luhn’s complaint for allegedly failing to address the abuse despite being made aware of it.
In a statement, a Fox News spokesperson said the suit was without merit. An attorney who has previously represented Shine did not respond to requests for comment.
Donald Trump
A few minutes after the Adult Survivors Act came into effect on Nov. 24, E. Jean Carroll, a former magazine columnist, filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump in Manhattan federal court, alleging he raped her in the early 1990s in a department store.
The former president, who has denied the allegations, filed a motion to dismiss the case in December and argued that the Adult Survivors Act was unconstitutional. Earlier this month, Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed the motion and said Trump’s arguments were “without merit,” according to court documents.
James Toback
Charges have also been filed against James Toback, a film director who has written screenplays for movies like The Gambler and Bugsy. Toback was sued by 38 women in December. The director allegedly often assaulted victims at the Harvard Club, a private social club in Manhattan also named as a defendant. According to the complaint, the Harvard Club failed to take action against Toback after hearing about his misconduct.
Toback’s club membership was terminated in 2017, said Irene Reidy, a spokesperson for the Harvard Club, in a statement. She declined to comment on the lawsuit and said the club doesn’t discuss pending litigation.
A former attorney for Toback could not be reached for comment.
Leon Black
Leon Black, the co-founder of Apollo Global management, a private equity firm, was sued under the new act in November. Cheri Pierson claimed Black sexually assaulted her two decades ago at the apartment of late financier Jeffrey Epstein, and also named Epstein’s estate as a defendant.
In December, Black filed for sanctions against Wigdor Law, the law firm representing Pierson and Guzel Ganieva, a Russian model who has also alleged sexual assault by Black. Wigdor Law “repeatedly abused the court system to laudner frivolous, unsubstantiated, and damaging accusations,” according to court filings. The law firm has denied Black’s allegations.
Ahmet Ertegun
Two women have filed separate lawsuits against the estate of Ahmet Ertegun, the co-founder and former CEO of Atlantic Records. Jan Roeg and Dorothy Carvello both allege they were assaulted by Ertegun in the 1980s while working at the record label, which is also named in their respective suits for supposedly enabling Ertegun’s behavior.
Warner Music Group and Atlantic Records said it was taking the allegations seriously in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “We regularly evaluate how we can evolve our policies to ensure our work environment is free from discrimination and harassment.”
An attorney for Ertegun’s estate did not respond to requests for comment.
Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby has been accused of sexual assault under the new act by numerous victims. On Dec. 5, five plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in New York court. NBCUniversal was also named in the suit, as two of the women had roles on Cosby’s shows which aired on the network.
NBC was additionally named in a Dec. 30 suit from Stacey Pinkerton, who claimed Cosby assaulted her in a hotel in 1986 after inviting her to participate in an episode of the Cosby Show. NBC and attorneys for Cosby did not respond to requests to discuss the matter.
Ibrahim Khan
Ibrahim Khan, a former advisor to New York Attorney General Letitia James, was sued on Dec. 15 under the Adult Survivors Act. Sofia Quintanar, who was James’ former deputy press secretary, claimed Khan forcibly kissed her in 2021. Khan could not be reached for comment.
Quintanar additionally accused James of ignoring previous warnings about the former advisor’s behavior and failing to fire Khan, who resigned in December. “We took the allegations brought to our office seriously and engaged in decisive, prompt, and appropriate action,” James’s office said in a statement to Bloomberg.
JP Morgan and Deutsche
Banks have also been accused under the new act, as evidenced by a November lawsuit alleging that JP Morgan and Deutsche bank facilitated Epstein’s sex-trafficking.
Two women who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Epstein said the institutions should be held responsible for continuing to do business with him after becoming aware of abuse allegations, according to suits filed in New York federal court. JP Morgan and Deutsche did not respond to requests for comment.
Ed Henry
On Dec. 20, Ed Henry, a former Fox News anchor, was sued by Jennifer Eckhart in New York federal court for sexual misconduct. Eckhart, who was also previously an employee at Fox, claimed she was raped by Henry in 2017.
Fox News, which fired Henry in 2020 after abuse allegations came to light, was also named in the complaint. Fox News and an attorney for Henry did not answer requests to comment on the matter.
Robert Hadden
A former gynecologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital, Robert Hadden was sued under the Adult Survivors Act in November. Laurie Maldonado, in addition to a number of other anonymous victims, alleged Hadden abused her under the guise of medical treatment in a lawsuit filed in New York court.
Hadden, who has settled nearly 150 similar cases, was convicted on Jan. 24 for separate charges of sex trafficking in Manhattan federal court.
“Robert Hadden was a predator in a white coat,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in a statement. “For years, he cruelly lured women who sought professional medical care to his offices in order to gratify himself.”
