Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story Page #6

- What?

This is a judicial decision,

it should come from the Courts.

Yeah, but if we rely solely on the Courts, we

leave everything in the hands of the judges.

- So?

- They're men.

Shari, who do you think sits

on the legislature?

Well, that's why 2 avenues are better

than one, it doubles our chances.

It's too much, come on, we better go.

We can't divide our focus.

We should just concentrate on the

Court cases and see what happens.

Rachel, before we begin

I just want to say that I know

that this is going to be hard.

I'm going to be asking you

a lot of questions.

Some of which maybe painful

and embarrassing.

And I want you to remember

that I was also an incest victim.

I know what you've been through,

and I'm on your side.

- Right.

- OK.

How old were you when you first remembered

your father sexually abusing you?

I remembered my father's abuse.

And what did you turn to

to escape this abuse?

Alcohol.

Sex.

You name it, I did it.

How old were you when you started

doing these things?

Alcohol, 13.

Drugs and sex, 14.

- How old are you now?

- 25.

Rachel,

what was your emotional state

during those years?

I hated myself.

I wanted to die.

I tried to kill myself 4 times.

Did you have any idea at the time

of those suicide attempts

why you felt so bad?

- Objection, cause for speculation.

- Sustained.

Your Honour, the crux

of this argument is

based on the fact that although Miss

Fowler does not remember her incest...

Objection, there is no proof

of any incest.

Sustained.

Rachel, did you discuss your feelings

with a therapist?

- Yes.

- And what did she say?

- Objection, hearsay.

- Sustained.

Your Honour...

Don't look at me, Counselor,

the burden of proof is yours.

One can only imagine how difficult

it must have been

as a child dealing

with these feelings,

and since it was a parent who was abusing you,

this must have compounded the problem.

It's the perfect crime. When you're

a baby, you can't remember.

When you're a child,

nobody believes you.

When you're a teenager, your family

blackmails you into keeping your mouth shut.

And by the time you're old enough

to do anything about it...

- Jack.

- ... the law says, sorry.

- Jack, get in here.

- ... and I have no idea

what it happened to me

until I was 30 years old.

Jack, look.

...millions of incest survivors

out there like me

who repress these memories

as children

because they were psychologically

unable to cope with them.

That's why my partner

Stephanie Chadford and I

Why did she do this to us?

What did she say,

did she mention my name?

Do you know how many people

watch this show?

...survivors of incest

to sue the perpetrators.

Shari, let's go back

to your own incest experience.

Oh my God.

I was 6 months old when my father

began sexually abusing me, and

it lasted until I was around 5.

Call Linda.

Did you hear me? Call Linda.

Call her.

You have no right to do this.

I had every right, it's my life.

Shari,

it's our life's too, going to therapy

is one thing, going on television...

Well, maybe if more incest victims

went public,

their perpetrators would think

twice before they tried anything.

Come, get off your soapbox.

You're not doing this for anybody else,

you're doing this to get back at Mom and Dad.

For what, Linda?

If nothing happened, then why

am I trying to get back at them for?

You know,

if I can save one child

by telling my story

then maybe that'll compensate

for losing my family.

I don't want this anymore.

Last year I was arrested

for drunk driving.

The judge sentenced me to mandatory

treatment for alcoholism.

When I finally got sober,

I went into therapy.

And what happened there?

I started to have flashbacks

and memories of my father.

What kind of memories?

He molested me.

And he...

raped me.

And sodomized me.

From when I was a little baby

until I was 6 years old.

Well, the Court has much sympathy for

the plaintiff and her painful ordeal.

As a matter of law, we find that

we have no choice

but to dismiss the case of

Rachel Fowler versus Philip Fowler.

The case has no validity

Based on the fact that the applicable

statute of limitations for incest

has run out on this claim.

We're going to file for an immediate

appeal, your Honour.

That's up to you, Counselor.

The jury is dismissed.

Why did we lose?

Don't worry, that was just

a stepping stone.

It's the Court of appeal

that matters.

That's were the legal precedent

is set.

It had nothing to do with you.

You did a great job.

How long to the appeal?

Probably a year or two.

That long?

I must go to get some air outside,

OK?

Alright, you wanted to focus

on the Court,

we focused on the Court, it's my turn,

I want to write legislation.

- Shari, this is one case...

- No, no, Stef...

the Appellate Court is packed

with right wing judges,

and in the next two years it's only going

to get worse. We need to pass a law.

OK, you win.

The law we're proposing is sponsored

by the American Coalition Against Rape,

as well as Senator Sorenson

of the Senate Judiciary committee.

And basically it states that any victim

of child molestation or incest

has an automatic right to sue until

his or her 26th birthday.

If they're older than 26, what is called

delayed discovery will be applied.

Then they have 3 years to sue

from the date they discovered

that they were

psychologically injured.

Who determines that?

Affidavits from therapists are submitted

and then it's up to the jury.

How do you prove

psychological injury?

Won't some people try and exploit

this law to get back at their parents?

No, I don't think so, the process

is very long and arduous.

Do you really think it's fair to prosecute

somebody so many years after the facts?

We go after war criminals, don't we?

The Chairman of the Committee's name

is Georges Dobbins

and I'm gonna tell you he's emphatically

opposed to this bill.

Our only chance is to win over the other

members of the judiciary committee.

So, be calm, be clear, and no matter

what, don't antagonize anyone.

What concerns me young lady are

the rights of the defendants.

Innocent fathers could be

falsely accused

and held accountable for acts that

supposedly took place 30 years ago.

As the law now exists, Mr. Chairman, it is

unfairly biased in the opposite direction.

The defendants have all the rights

and the victims have none.

That's not the point.

No, the point is

that we are trying to redress this imbalance

and give the victim her day in Court.

And when the witnesses are dead

and no one can remember?

Let the jury decide

as in any other crime.

A jury trial can go on for years

and in the meantime,

honest men's lives can be ruined.

Doesn't that matter to you?

Excuse me Sir, but why are you more

concerned about a bunch of child molesters

than you are with their victims?

I'm concerned Senator about

the question of retro-activity

because, let me tell you right now, I'm

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