Every time a national story about sexual assault dominates the headlines and airwaves, I write Amy Harms.
Generally, each email contains an apology.
It started in June when a judge in the sexual assault case against comedian Bill Cosby.
I’m sorry I haven’t written about your case yet, I wrote Harms. I promised I’d get to it soon.
But I didn’t.
Two months passed and then came Taylor Swift.
The pop star won a civil lawsuit against a Denver radio personality. She says at a concert four years ago. Swift asked for, and received, a $1 verdict from the jury.
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I wrote Harms again. Now is the time, I said. Their cases seem so similar.
In April, Harms against state Rep. Steven Roberts Jr., a Democrat from ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. The lawsuit alleges that two years previously, at a downtown ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ bar, Roberts sexually assaulted Harms. She was a law student at the time at ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ University. He was an assistant prosecutor for the circuit attorney’s office in the city.
“Defendant then stuck his hand inside of Plaintiff’s pants and underwear,†Harms’ lawsuit alleges. “Defendant’s hand made contact with Plaintiff’s genitals.â€
Harms had filed a complaint with the police about the alleged assault in 2015. They investigated and sent a report to Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce. She recused herself since Roberts was an employee and sent the case to St. Charles County, where assistant prosecutor Jillian Anderson handled the case.
No charges were filed. Roberts denied wrongdoing, and still does. Harms went public about her complaints after I wrote about another alleged sexual assault case involving Roberts. Last year, state Rep. Cora Faith Walker, D-Ferguson, . Again, he denied the allegation, saying the two had consensual sex. Police investigated. Joyce recused again. The St. Charles County prosecutor decided against filing charges. Now Roberts is suing Walker for defamation claiming that the allegations were false. She, in turn, has countersued him for assault. Roberts is moving for a judgment in his favor and the case is set for trial in December.
After the Swift case, Harms told me she hoped the result would raise awareness nationally about sexual assault.
“It is my sincere hope that Ms. Swift’s case will continue to get people talking, to bring attention to and raise awareness of issues related to sexual violence,†she said. “Until we address these issues as a society, our efforts toward prevention will fall short of our goals.â€
But I still didn’t write. One thing came up, then another.
Then Harvey Weinstein happened.
The Hollywood mogul is facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment, assault, and rape from actresses and other women who allege he has used his power over women and their careers in the most heinous of ways for decades. Many of the women say they had tried to come forward before but police or prosecutors always found a reason not to go to court.
After multiple exposés in , the New York Times and the Washington Post, the reaction has been swift. Weinstein lost control of the company he founded, he’s been expelled from the Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts and Sciences. He maintains his innocence.
Last week, following the Weinstein allegations, actress Alyssa Milano sparked a social media avalanche of women talking about their own instances of sexual assault and harassment. “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.â€
If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano)
Amy Harms is a “me, too.â€
She understands how one woman finding courage helps another do the same. It’s why even though charges have not been filed in her case, she continues to carry her fight forward, challenging the very system that could control her career path.
The court has not yet ruled on the merits of Harms’ case. On Oct. 13, Circuit Court Judge Joan Moriarty denied a defense motion to dismiss the case. More motions could follow, and a trial, before the case is decided.
Roberts’ attorney, Jeremy Hollingshead, says he plans to file a second motion to dismiss the case. He criticizes Harms for representing herself. “It’s causing a lot of issues,†he said.
Harms also filed a complaint against Anderson with the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel. She alleges Anderson knowingly made false statements of material facts and the law, didn’t provide her victim services in violation of the Victims Rights Statute, and failed to properly handle her case.
“If a victim verbally expresses a lack of consent before a defendant ever touches her and that isn’t enough, what is sufficient?†she wrote in her complaint. “Is no weight given to whether the defendant’s claim is believable? What is ever going to be sufficient?â€
The complaint against Anderson was investigated but dismissed by the Regional Disciplinary Committee.
Harms also filed a Sunshine Law complaint with the attorney general’s office saying the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Police Department twice failed to give her the records she was seeking in her case. She has sent a letter to lawmakers advocating for stronger laws so that more victims of sexual assault will come forward and believe the judicial system will take them more seriously.
“This fight … has been exhausting,†Harms says. “Just when I have a victory to celebrate, another loss soon follows. It isn’t easy for me, but I know it might be harder for anyone else. Short of exposing what happened in my case in the media, I don’t think the truth will come out. If the truth doesn’t come out, I do not believe that anything will change; those in power can sweep this, too, under the rug. These things must change.â€