Governor Kathy Hochul met with domestic violence survivors in Albany this week, promising to fight for changes to New York’s discovery laws that she says are denying victims justice.
“I just had a really powerful, impactful conversation with our sisters in purple,” Hochul said after the meeting. “These are women who’ve risen above their circumstances… and too many times, those cases end in dismissal because the rigid discovery laws that we have in place right now denied them justice.”
The Governor was joined by several survivors, including Angelina Rosado, who shared her personal experiences navigating the criminal justice system. Rosado emphasized the emotional toll survivors endure, saying, “It took me over six months to say I was a victim of domestic violence. It felt like lava coming out of my mouth.”
Rosado said that current discovery requirements often result in case dismissals over technicalities. “Could you imagine being told, ‘Well, we didn’t have your Uber receipt, so your case was dismissed and now your order of protection is dropped’?,” she said.
Hochul pledged to include reforms in the state budget. “I’m really proud to be fighting on their behalf… and people all over this state who are denied justice because of some technicality,” she said. “I’m going to keep fighting until we fix this.”
The Governor connected the survivors’ stories to her own family history, recalling her mother’s advocacy in the 1970s. “She told what happened to her mother, and she became a voice for so many,” Hochul said. “I’m told I have the empathy of my mother.”
The meeting came as state lawmakers continue to negotiate the budget, which Hochul said must address both public safety and affordability. “Shame on us if we can’t put this budget to bed and focus on the needs of the people of the state who put us in these jobs,” she said.
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