The Coalition for Just & Compassionate Compensation (CJCC) today launched a powerful new television and digital advertising campaign calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to enforce the Child Victims Act (CVA) and hold insurance companies accountable for the thousands of unsettled claims filed by survivors of child sex abuse.
The ad, titled “JUSTICE,” began airing this week in Albany and Buffalo on cable television and digital platforms and will run through the end of New York’s legislative session. It highlights the continued failure of the Hochul administration to ensure fair compensation for more than 14,000 survivors who filed lawsuits under the CVA—legislation passed six years ago to deliver justice for victims of childhood sexual abuse.
“Six years ago, survivors were promised that the Child Victims Act would hold abusers and enablers accountable,” said Steve Jimenez, a survivor and CJCC trustee. “Instead, we’re still waiting—while Governor Hochul cashes checks from big insurance. Enforce the law, Governor. Do your job.”
The campaign cites financial records from Open Secrets showing that since 2021, Governor Hochul has accepted more than $578,000 in campaign contributions from the insurance industry, while her administration refuses to honor the CVA and compel insurers to honor their obligations to survivors.
Thousands upon thousands of claims remain stalled or dismissed, and essential institutions—including schools, churches, and child care providers—are bearing the financial burden.
Despite guidance issued by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) in 2019 instructing insurers to act in “utmost good faith,” there is no public record of DFS enforcement actions on behalf of survivors. A recent Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request by CJCC seeking DFS communications regarding CVA claims returned zero documents.
“DFS has done nothing to enforce its own guidance,” said David Catalfamo, CJCC Trustee and Executive Director. “Meanwhile, survivors are dying without justice and communities are being forced to pay for the failures of the insurance industry.”
The ad urges New Yorkers to call Governor Hochul at 518-474-8390 and demand she enforce the law and compel insurers to compensate survivors—not the institutions or taxpayers left holding the bag.
“The promises made when the CVA passed are being broken every day this administration fails to act,” said Gary Greenberg, CVA advocate and founder of the Fighting for Children PAC. “Governor Hochul has a responsibility to protect survivors—not the insurance companies trying to run out the clock.”
CJCC’s board includes survivors, attorneys, and advocates fighting for full accountability and timely resolution of CVA claims across New York State.
Watch the ad at www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0wY6IHstc
