A New York woman who was drugged and sexually assaulted is still waiting for justice—because the law didn’t protect her. According to reporting by Gannett, Christina Maxwell was dismissed by police after reporting her 2020 assault, since she’d consumed alcohol before being drugged. Her story spotlights a legal gap the state has failed to close for years.
The Senate has passed a bill five times to fix the loophole, but the Assembly has never brought it to a vote. That may change this week, as Assembly leaders revise the bill’s language. It would allow charges when a victim is clearly incapacitated—even if they voluntarily drank—and the attacker should have known.
Defense attorneys oppose the bill, citing vague language and racial bias risks. But advocates argue those claims lack evidence, noting similar laws in 28 other states show no such harm.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].