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The Adult Survivors Act (ASA), signed into law in New York in 2022, was a significant piece of legislation aimed at providing justice for survivors of sexual abuse. The ASA temporarily removed the state’s statute of limitations for a year, enabling adults to file civil lawsuits for sexual misconduct incidents, irrespective of when they happened. This suspension allowed many survivors, previously barred by time limits, to pursue legal action and seek justice.

The Punk Rock Therapist serves as a way to connect the innumerable survivors who have shared, or are ready to share, their own stories of exploitation and abuse at the hands of men in the entertainment industry, encompassing fields such as music, film, fashion, theatre, and sports. Through therapy, TPRT aims to empower individuals to voice their stories, foster community support, and guide them on their journey from being victims to survivors, and ultimately, thrivers.

When survivors of sexual assault or abuse reach out to attorney Karen Barth Menzies to talk about their experience, they can be sure they are in a safe, confidential environment. Karen says, “I always emphasize that all of it remains confidential. It can be as simple as one conversation that allows me to provide empowering information about their options, even if they’re not ready to talk about what happened to them.”

Attorney Karen Barth Menzies founded KBM Law so she could provide personal, individual legal representation for the survivors of sexual assault and sexual abuse. “I spent my career litigating cases all over the country in a complex setting known as ‘mass torts,’” Karen says, “I represented thousands of clients, against a giant, multi-national corporations.” Many of Karen’s big cases focused on children’s and women’s issues, and that led her to begin working with sexual assault survivors.

“In sexual assault cases, there is always a power disparity,” says attorney Karen Barth Menzies, “The person in power has taken control of the victim.” The problem of sexual assault exists in every industry, but the power disparity in the music industry is amplified because music tends to attract young people to a competitive field with rich, powerful, and celebrated gatekeepers.

Despite all the #metoo movement did to raise awareness about the problem of sexual assault in the workplace, the music industry has remained largely unaffected. Powerful, high-profile individuals in the motion picture and television news industry have faced firings, civil lawsuits, and in some cases, criminal prosecutions. Meanwhile, some in the music industry have escaped similar consequences despite credible public claims that they committed sexual assaults.