Governor Cuomo extends Child Victims Act
‘look-back window’ until summer 2021
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
Governor Andrew Cuomo
signed legislation on Aug.
3 extending the look-back
window for the Child Victims Act by
a year.
The governor codifi ed the Child
Victims Act last year giving survivors
of childhood sexual abuse a year-long
window to fi le lawsuits against private
and public institutions barred by the
statute of limitations. Victims can now
fi le claims until Aug. 14, 2021.
“The Child Victims Act has allowed
more than 3,000 brave survivors to
come forward to seek justice. Yet
it’s clear many New Yorkers who
survived child sexual abuse haven’t
come forward — especially during the
COVID-19 crisis which has upended
our courts and economy,” said state
Senator Brad Hoylman, one of the bill’s
sponsors, in a statement.
Courts across the state shuttered
their doors in mid-March due to the
novel coronavirus pandemic causing
a backlog of 39,200 criminal cases.
In June, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore
announced that New York City courts
would resume in-person operations but
a reduced capacity, with only judges
and 20% of staff returning to courts.
“Survivors of childhood sex abuse
can breathe a sigh of relief now that the
look-back window of the Child Victims
Act has been extended for one more
year,” said Assemblymember Linda
Rosenthal, who also sponsored the
bill. “After fi ghting for the law’s passage
for 13 long years, many feared the
COVID-19 pandemic and the closure
of the courts meant that the clock had
run out on their opportunity to seek
justice.”
PHOTO VIA FLICKR/GOVERNOR CUOMO’S OFFICE
Facebook to lease all office space
in Farley post office building
BY ALEJANDRA
O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Facebook’s growing presence
in New York City will
include the entire James
A. Farley Building in midtown
Manhattan now that the social
media giant plans on leasing all of
the offi ce space inside the former
post offi ce, Mayor Bill de Blasio
announced on Tuesday.
The “major” investment is the
fi rst large new lease for the post-
COVID-19 era, said de Blasio,
and will boost the total number
of Facebook employees in New
York City to 10,000.
De Blasio described the social
media giant’s decision to expand
within the over 100-year-old
building as a “vote of confi -
dence” in the future of the city.
It is unclear what tax breaks
or incentives the tech company
will receive as a result of the
expansion.
“It will be a part of our economic
rebirth,” de Blasio told
reporters.
The first phase of transforming the landmarked James A. Farley Post Office Building into Moynihan Train Hall is completed
with the opening of two new entrances and a larger West End concourse.
Facebook began leasing
700,000 square feet of space
in the 730,000 square-foot
Farley building last year. The
move means that Facebook
has acquired over 2.2 million
square feet of offi ce space in
the city, according to the New
York Times.
PHOTO BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC
Facebook did immediately
respond to a request for
comment.
4 August 6, 2020 Schneps Media