BROOKLYN, NY — Survivors Law Project is proud to represent author and survivor-advocate Gina Tron, whose compassionless treatment by police led the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to announce its ongoing investigation into the NYPD Special Victims Division (SVD).Late yesterday, Tron filed a lawsuit against her alleged rapist, Saadi Ouaaz, under New York’s Adult Survivors Act. The lawsuit describes Ouaaz meeting Tron at a bar in Park Slope, Brooklyn before luring her to his car with an offer of cocaine, kidnapping her, and violently raping her inside his apartment in October 2010.

Photo by Lorna Scubelek on Unsplash

Tron publicly recounted her rape and subsequent treatment by the NYPD in a 2013 Vice essay and in her 2014 memoir, You’re Fine. She is a vocal advocate for police reform: in 2021, she wrote a letter to the DOJ requesting an investigation into the NYPD’s treatment of sex abuse victims. Tron was also one of the initial witnesses who was interviewed by the DOJ before it announced a full-scale investigation into the SVD in June 2022. The investigation remains ongoing.Statement from Gina Tron:“I’m filing this civil lawsuit because our criminal justice system failed me a decade ago. I’ve spent the last decade advocating for other sex crime victims and pushing for reforms that ensure survivors aren’t further traumatized when they report sexual assault. This lawsuit is an opportunity for me to finally get justice for myself.”Statement from Julia Elmaleh-Sachs, Senior Associate at Crumiller P.C. and counsel for Gina Tron:“Gina’s claims of sexual assault were revived by two separate lookback windows: the New York Adult Survivors Act (ASA) and the NYC Gender Motivated Violence Act (GMVA). While the ASA’s one-year window closes next week, the GMVA has a two-year window that stays open until March 2025. We strongly encourage any survivor of sexual assault in the State of New York to contact a qualified civil rights attorney who can help you evaluate your options before the clock permanently runs out. We’re so proud of Gina for taking this courageous step in her long quest for justice.”