Firm NewsWe did some major CREEP-ing in Albany, and it was a SUCCESS!

On May 6, New Yorkers from all over the state joined C.A. Goldberg on a trip to Albany for our CREEP Act Lobby Day! New York State bill S3394/A3226 The Ceasing Repeated and Extremely Egregious Predatory (CREEP) Behavior Act will protect ALL stalking victims in New York State regardless of how, why, and by whom they are being stalked.  

Let’s back up…what are the current protections for stalking victims in New York state? Right now, if a New Yorker is being stalked by someone they aren’t related to or “intimate” with, they cannot request a Civil Order of Protection (OP). The CREEP Act provides every New Yorker being stalked with the opportunity to get a Civil OP, whether they know their stalker well or not at all. Civil OPs are incredibly effective in deterring stalkers and are fast to obtain. Victims can get a Temporary Civil OP the very same day they petition for it, and the Order goes into effect as soon as it is served on the offender. 

Our C.A. Goldberg CREEPers were thrilled to be joined by other advocates and organizations – Lauren Kushner from Stop Stalking Us flew in from Los Angeles! – as well as New Yorkers across the state who are victims of stalking or have loved ones who are victims. We were a mighty group of about 20 people all there for the same reason – to get CREEP Act PASSED! 

“Today, May 6, 2025, is the first annual CREEP Day, the day we crusade for the most urgent bill in our great state of New York.” – Carrie Goldberg 

We kicked off the day with a press conference, led by our champions of the bill, Senator Andrew Gounardes (D-26), whose office heeded the need to protect all New Yorkers and authored the CREEP Act, and Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas (D-34).  

“Right now, victims of stalking and harassment who want to secure restraining orders against their perpetrators must go through a slow-moving, months-long criminal investigation, a divorce proceeding, or through Family Court, which requires the victim to have a narrowly defined, pre-existing intimate relationship with their harasser.” – Senator Gounardes 

Senator Gounardes and Assemblymember Gonzalez-Rojas discussed how important it is for our legal protections to finally be brought up to date: New Yorkers are navigating 21st Century threats and need 21st Century protections.  

“Not only has the Internet enabled new criminal behaviors like revenge porn and online stalking, but it has altered the way that we discover and define relationships. Many of the victims of digital crimes today need support in a way that doesn’t fit the family court’s narrow definition of intimate partner violence. The CREEP act follows the lead of 43 other states by creating a new anti-stalking Order of Protection through our civil court. This new Order of Protection would allow courts to more quickly and more easily protect victims of digital harassment, providing faster support for victims without waiting for an arrest, and better protecting those left behind by our current laws.” – Senator Gounardes 

“Oftentimes stalking leads to other forms of violence, and even death. And in fact, 85% of female victims of attempted homicide or homicide have first been stalked. We have to pass this bill. This is the duty of our body as a legislature in order to make sure we are protecting every New Yorker in every way possible and that we’re addressing, as the Senator said, the 21st Century ways in which people are harmed.” – Assemblymember González-Rojas 

Our founding attorney Carrie Goldberg talked about the severity of harm caused by stalking and how hard it’s been over the past 11 years to turn away clients because we cannot get them OPs because of their relationships with their stalkers. We know firsthand that victims of stalking feel trapped, living each day in fear of a new threat to their safety and well-being. 

“The most urgent work that we do is for people who are under attack in real-time and in getting them Orders of Protection. A huge swath of our clients is being stalked. There is somebody that is hellbent on their destruction, sending them dozens of messages a day on text, social media, threatening them with revenge porn, sextortion, deepfakes. And we stand for the belief that everybody has the right to be left the eff alone.” – Carrie Goldberg 

Assemblymember Brian Maher (R-101) and co-sponsors Senators Chris Ryan (D-50) and Nathalia Fernandez (D-34) also spoke at the press conference, emphasizing the urgency needed to get the CREEP Act passed.  

We were also incredibly fortunate to have two survivors of stalking share their personal stories – Lily Baldwin, filmmaker, dancer, and founder of Stop Stalking Us, and our amazing client James Napoli. They both spoke of the devastating trauma and harm their stalkers have caused. 

“Violence is not defined by obvious blood. I call the impact of stalking an invisible violence. This experience of being stalked and the lack of cultural and legal understanding, empathy, and protection have eroded my sense of self.” – Lily Baldwin 

“It felt like I was drowning and anybody who has been a victim of stalking can tell you that I was living through the crushing terror of being stalked.” – James Napoli. 

Following the press conference, we split up into groups to cover as much ground as possible. Over the course of the afternoon, we met with the offices of over two dozen elected officials to spread the word about CREEP! Every single member of the group shined and contributed to our conversations! If we couldn’t connect with anyone in the elected officials’ offices, the groups did literature drops across the buildings. At the end of our Lobby Day, we hit EVERY SINGLE OFFICE.

We are so grateful to all the lawmakers sponsoring this bill, to everyone who came out to Lobby Day – near and far – and to our incredible Legislative Analyst Jian Hong Shi who made the day possible with her impeccable planning, detailed scheduling of each meeting, preparation of literature drops, group organization, and so much more.  

Please continue to follow us @cagoldberglaw to get the latest on the CREEP Act and check out our dedicated CREEP Act webpage, where you can find out ways to get involved as we continue to fight to protect ALL New Yorkers! 

Check out the full press conference and press release from our CREEP Act Lobby Day!