We are so proud to represent Elizabeth Crothers in her fight for accountability against the State of New York for the mishandling of her rape accusation 25 years ago. Her story was recently featured on the front cover of the Times Union, and subsequently, the Times Union Editorial Board published a powerful opinion piece demanding justice for Elizabeth.  

“We call on state Attorney General Letitia James, whose handling of sexual harassment allegations in her own office is far from spotless, to recognize that in this matter she and her staff are serving as a defense for the indefensible.” – Times Union Editorial Board  

Elizabeth Crothers is a hero for survivors and has been instrumental in changing conditions for sexual harassment and assault victims. Now, it’s time for her to get her own justice. 

25 Years Later, Elizabeth’s story is back in Albany

In January 2001, Elizabeth was a 24 year-old rising star chief of staff for NY State Assemblyman Patrick Manning, when she was raped at a work event by J. Michael Boxley, chief counsel to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. By all accounts, Silver was the most powerful person in Albany and personally organized a smear campaign against Elizabeth in the press and halls of the Capital. She was so ostracized she had no choice but to resign from her job, drop out of her political science grad program and leave the state. Two years later, Boxley was arrested for raping another young staffer. Silver and some of the journalists and elected officials who retaliated against her have acknowledged her mistreatment, but have never given her the justice due.  

Civil Lawsuit & Adult Survivors Act

In 2018, Elizabeth and six other former NY State legislature employees who’d experienced or witnessed sexual harassment on the job came together to form the Sexual Harassment Working Group (SHWG). SHWG was a key player in getting the Adult Survivors Act (ASA) passed in NY, which extended Statute of Limitations (SOL) for sexual assault and offered a lookback window for survivors whose SOL had passed.  

An opportunity for accountability

The State Attorney General’s office has shockingly listed Boxley as one of only two witnesses – despite him pleading the fifth 44 times in our deposition of him. 

As Carrie told Times Union: 

“To know that they intend to confront my client with her (accused) rapist … is disturbing. It’s surprising to me that the state under (Attorney General) Letitia James is taking that kind of scorched-earth attack … because she’s, on the one hand, taken on this public persona of being sort of this progressive feminist, but yet she’s also the decision-maker when it comes to claims like Elizabeth Crothers.”  – Carrie Goldberg 

The case goes to trial in January 2027.  

As the Times Union Editorial Board pointed out, “there are others with a moral reckoning to make” – including the lobbying firm that hired Boxley after he became a registered sex offender (and remained a registered lobbyist), Democratic Assembly members who continued to vote Silver in as speaker, and more.  

And some are still in politics. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan worked as a top budget aide to Assembly Speaker Silver at the time. “I’m interested in knowing his recollection from that time,” Carrie recently told the NY Post. “I want to know if Dean Fuleihan, in his capacity as first deputy mayor, believes Elizabeth Crothers’ case would be treated differently. How would it have been handled in a 2026 administration?” 

Elizabeth was failed by the State of NY on multiple levels. The State cannot undo the harm, but it now has an opportunity to make it right.  

The Times Union Editorial Board put it perfectly: 

“If Ms. Crothers’ lawsuit has brought any of these people a measure of discomfort in seeing the details back in the news (or the opinion pages) 25 years later, the plaintiff has already won a measure of victory. She deserves it, and more.” – Times Union Editorial Board

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