Time’s Up Mr. Weinstein.

As Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to what will likely be the rest of his life in prison, and still faces additional charges in California, I wanted to take this opportunity to reconfirm The Dickson Firm's commitment to standing up for anyone who has survived sexual assault or any other type of violence.

First, I would like anyone reading this, who has been the victim of any type of violence to know, definitively, that you are not alone. Perhaps one of the most important and significant results of the Me Too movement and the Times Up movement has been the significant number of people who have come forward and shared their stories. So many people have survived aggression and violence. It seems that a lot of these incidents, were made more possible or even more likely by the fact that the perpetrators got away with these incidents because their victims may have been reluctant to speak up. Hopefully, as each brave survivor shares their story, others are encouraged to come forward, share their stories, so they can get the help and love and support that they need, and so that their attackers can be held fully accountable.

There is no excuse for sexual assault or any type of assault or violence. Oftentimes, the victims feel shame or embarrassment. They blame themselves. These are very common feelings. And yet, each survivor needs to understand that it is not their fault. There is no justification for sexual assault.

If you or someone you care about has been assaulted, and you would like to talk with someone, we here at The Dickson Firm will be happy to listen. Whether the facts of your situation would enable us to pursue a civil case on your behalf or not, we would be happy to listen to you, so that you know that someone cares, that you are not alone, and that what happened to you is not your fault, and it is not okay. However, you can absolutely be okay. If you'd be more comfortable talking to one of the dedicated people at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, you can call or text them on their hotline at (216) 619-6192 or (440) 423-2020 https://clevelandrapecrisis.org/ Either way, if you have been the victim of sexual assault, it is important that you tell someone, so the perpetrator can be held accountable, and be prevented from hurting someone else, and so you can process what has occurred so that you can heal.

We are here for you.