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As state courts reopen, new Child Victims Act cases filed
Gow School sued
In a statement to The Buffalo News, attorneys Cheryl Meyers Buth and Brian Melber said that their client was exposing what happened to him at the school to protect other children who had no way to fight back against adult sexual predators.
“We’re not talking about just one employee or an isolated incident or ancient history. Our client and other pre-teen/teenage boys were subjected to repeated sexual assaults in the early to mid-90s when there was public awareness about these types of crimes,” they said.
It is the third CVA lawsuit against the Gow School, a college-prep boarding and day school for students with dyslexia and similar language-based learning disabilities. It was an all-boys school until going co-educational in 2013.
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Niagara University student says she was sexually assaulted by member of school’s swim team
by: Chris Horvatits
Posted: Updated:
LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB) – A sophomore student at Niagara University was sexually assaulted by a member of the men’s swim team in a Fall 2018 incident, a lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit, which was initially filed in federal court earlier this year, was amended Thursday to include the new allegation. The female student is not identified. Neither is the swim team member. The lawsuit does note, however, that the man is still a member of the swim team.
The woman joins three others as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed in September. The other three women are all either current or former members of Niagara’s women’s swim or dive teams. They claim that they were “subjected to severe and pervasive sexual harassment and bullying by members of the men’s swim team”.
“Had the university taken appropriate action when complaints about sexual harassment and other abuse was first made in 2015, (20)16, (20)17, she may not have had the same issues that she did with this young man,” said Cheryl Meyers Buth, an attorney who represents the alleged sexual assault victim.
The lawsuit claims that following the assault, the victim received a threatening phone message from a man she believed to be the person who assaulted her. She then met with Niagara’s Title IX Coordinator Ryan Thompson, who “influenced her not to” file a formal complaint, she said.
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Chris Collins sentenced to 26 months in prison
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NEW YORK CITY (WIVB) — Chris Collins was on Friday sentenced to 26 months for his conviction on conspiracy to commit securities fraud and lying to the FBI.
The former congressman for New York’s 27th District was also handed down one year of supervised release and a $200,000 fine.
Collins last year pleaded guilty to insider trading, as did his son Cameron Collins and his son’s father-in-law, Stephen Zarsky, who were both tipped off. That allowed them to save hundreds of thousands of dollars, as alleged by prosecutors in the indictment Collins pleaded guilty to.
Federal prosecutors recommended that Collins serve between 46 and 57 months in prison. Collins’ attorneys sought probation. Probation officers recommended he spend a year and a day in prison.
“It’s a big swing,” said Cheryl Meyers Buth, a legal analyst and attorney at Meyers Buth Law Group. “I find in my practice it’s the most stressful time for a defense client because you won’t know until you’re standing in front of a judge what he’s going to do.
“You won’t know – are you going to federal prison are you going to a halfway house? Are you going to be on probation and what the conditions of probation are going to be?”
Full Story: https://www.wivb.com/news/top-stories/chris-collins-sentencing-january-17/
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Trooper charged with reckless driving in July crash that sent five to hospitals
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SHERIDAN, N.Y. (WIVB) — A New York State Trooper was arrested on Tuesday and charged in a July crash on a stretch of the Thruway that runs through Chautauqua County.
Stephen Barker is charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and reckless driving after an investigation into the July 15 crash.
State Police said that a cruiser driven by Barker, 33, crashed into the back of a minivan after he failed to notice that the van was slowing down to traffic.
The five occupants were taken to hospitals in Buffalo and Dunkirk. State police said all were treated for injuries ranging from minor to severe.
An attorney for Timothy McCann, who was taken to a Buffalo hospital by helicopter from the crash scene, said that he remains paralyzed.
“Timothy McCann arrived back at home on Christmas Eve from the spinal rehab center where he had been taken for treatment. The McCann’s are grateful to the emergency responders who saved his life that day (July 15). He appreciates the actions taken by the NYS Police to investigate the accident and District Attorney (Patrick) Swanson’s handling of the matter. Although he remains paralyzed, Mr. McCann is looking forward to spending 2020 with his family and prays for his other friends who were also injured in the accident.”
CHERYL MEYERS BUTH, ATTORNEY FOR CRASH VICTIM TIMOTHY MCCANN
Barker is suspended without pay, say state police.
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Female swimmers sue Niagara University, alleging harassment by men’s team – The Buffalo News
"The only 'locker room mentality' we should tolerate is one which supports, educates and demonstrates respect for all of our athletes; which recognizes that half the people in locker rooms across the country these days are women," said attorney Laurie A. Baker, who filed the suit along with attorneys Cheryl Meyers Buth and Brian M. Melber.
The former diver alleged that she complained to the assistant athletic director in 2016 about Nigro's response to an incident in which a male swimmer had sex with a female recruit. Nigro's response, according to the lawsuit: "He must not have been very good since she (the recruit) is not coming to NU."
"The coach and athletic department were either so unaware or so dismissive of the humiliating treatment of women swimmers that this appalling behavior became acceptable and continued year after year," Melber said.
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Women swimmers suing Niagara University over harassment – The Niagara Gazette
COURTS: Swimmers cite ongoing sexual harassment from men's swim team.
Strong women who joined Niagara University’s swim and dive team were scarred by the program’s culture of rampant sexual harassment, the athletes said in a public statement Wednesday.
Their remarks follow a federal lawsuit filed last week that alleged the school’s investigation into their complaints was biased against them and allowed their harassers to dodge potential accountability, the court documents said.
Current seniors Natasha Posso and Jaime Rolf, as well as an anonymous 2018 graduate, had decorated athletic resumes when they were recruited to NU. After joining, the women were repeatedly harassed by male athletes while their coach did nothing to intervene, the lawsuit charged.
The behavior permeated the program, they discovered only amounted to an “appendage” of the men’s program, the documents said. The female athletes were without their own practice schedule, their own coaching staff and, effectively, their own team, according to the lawsuit.
“We are competitive, strong women who were sectional swimming champs in high school,” Posso and Rolf said in a statement provided by their attorneys, Laurie Baker and Cheryl Meyers Buth. “This sexist, offensive behavior left us broken down, depressed and drained of confidence – this is not how any college athlete or woman on campus should be treated.”
All three plaintiffs’ mental health suffered from the environment. One became suicidal for a time.
The decision to go public with their identity and claims was a difficult one, Meyers Buth said. The filing is a result of the way the university handled the women’s internal complaints and is rooted in a desire that the school “provide equal opportunities to women,” the attorney said Wednesday.
And after the suit’s public filing in the federal courts, the firm’s office phone has been ringing, Meyers Buth said.
“We’ve talked to a number of young women since filing the complaint,” she said. “We’ve also gotten calls from parents whose daughters had similar experiences.”
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No jail time for UB student in 2018 hit-and-run on campus – The Buffalo News
Hannah Christensen sat inside her parked car on the University at Buffalo’s North Campus, watching as police and emergency responders treated Renuka Ramanadhan.
It was the evening of Nov. 1, shortly after the car Christensen was driving struck Ramanadhan, a fellow UB student, in front of the Hadley Village Apartments. After seeing that the person she had hit was getting medical attention, Christensen drove away.But when police caught up with her two weeks later, after receiving a tip about her possible involvement in the incident, she was remorseful and cooperated by giving a statement.
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How an idea on a whim turned Buffalo attorney Cheryl Meyers Buth into the one-woman show of sports agents
If a sequel to “Jerry Maguire” — the memorable 1996 sports drama featuring a wayward sports agent determined to uphold his moral fiber and not value corporate interest over his clients — were in the works, the organizers might consider casting Cheryl Meyers Buth as the lead.
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What could be next in the AG’s investigation into the Catholic Church, WGRZ, September 2018
Local attorney Cheryl Meyers-Buth speaks with us about the NY Attorney General's investigation into the Catholic Church.
September 6, 2018
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Just like that bombshell investigation in Pennsylvania, New York's Attorney General is opening her own investigation into allegations of priest sex abuse in the Catholic Church. . . .
The civil investigation launched Thursday includes a clergy abuse hotline and online complaint form for anyone to submit confidential information. That's on top of the A.G. issuing a subpoena to each diocese in New York. Underwood's office is also working on a joint investigation with district attorneys from across the state to uncover potential criminal wrongdoing.
"What kind of documents could they be looking for, or are they allowed to request?" asked 2 On Your Side’s Kelly Dudzik.
"[T}hey will be looking for are any policies, procedures on handling the complaints, anything that might be relevant to a cover-up by the church, you know, abuse that was concealed intentionally. Reports that were taken and never followed up on. Things like that," says attorney Cheryl Meyers-Buth.
Meyers-Buth says the church will have to turn over both paper and electronic documents going back as far as they've been maintained, and the investigation will take as long as necessary.
"For those for whom the statute of limitations either in a criminal case or for a civil lawsuit is already extinguished, at least they get to tell their story and they provide information as background which could also help corroborate current complaints, for example, if there's one particular clergy member who has been accused, even if the statute of limitations is expired, those other complaints may be helpful," says Meyers-Buth.
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Law firm establishes office in village, Orchard Park Bee, October 2017
Western New York attorneys Cheryl Meyers Buth and Laurie Baker have recently launched their new law firm, Meyers Buth Law Group PLLC.
The firm’s newly renovated office is in the New York Telephone Building, located at 21 Princeton Place in the Village of Orchard Park.
Meyers Buth Law Group handles criminal defense, civil litigation, personal injury and sports/entertainment law matters.
According to the firm, the founding partners wanted to provide personalized, client-centered legal services to individuals and small business clients, which is often difficult in other law firm settings.
“Starting Meyers Buth Law Group gives us the opportunity to get to know our clients and for us to earn their trust while delivering a broad range of legal services,” Meyers Buth said.
Baker agreed.
“We take a personalized approach with all our clients, treating them as we would our own family members, realizing that many times we are helping people through some of life’s most challenging situations,” Baker said.
With more than 20 years of trial practice, Meyers Buth’s diverse range of state and federal court, criminal defense, and civil litigation experience makes her a top resource for a variety of clients who need legal representation, the company said.
She has earned numerous awards and has been recognized by the New York State Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York and the federal judges for the Western District of New York.
Baker has experience representing individuals and families in complex cases involving school liability, wrongful death, employment discrimination/sexual harassment, municipal claims, motor vehicle accidents, motorcycle accidents and premises liability, the firm said.
She has recently been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in the WNY legal community.
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