**Trigger warning -- sexual assault** For many sexual assault survivors, the road to justice is not fair. My little sister Catherine, who most of us know as Katie, was assaulted after a fraternity party. They tried to silence her. My little sister went to the police. They didn’t listen to her. My little sister went to the Onondaga County District Attorney’s office to seek help. They disregarded her. My little sister shared her story on social media. They tried to silence her. A chemical engineering student, Katie’s dream was to embark upon a profession to advocate for safe consumer products; my little sister has always looked to support others. Now, locked in a legal battle with her assailant, my little sister needs your help to make sure her story is heard and that she is not penalized for speaking out about her experiences. After Katie was assaulted, she followed every step to achieve justice through our criminal justice system but was disregarded and dismissed. Although she was told by law enforcement that there was an “absence of physical evidence” and her criminal case would not proceed, it turns out that the torn and bloody clothing she submitted with her rape kit was never fully tested or examined.   When the legal system failed her, Katie turned to the University Title IX process, and after a full investigation, the University expelled Katie’s assailant. Inspired by the #MeToo movement, Katie then spoke out against her attacker on Facebook. Her story immediately gained traction, shared by hundreds and "liked" by thousands. Her story gave voice to those who had yet to find it. Still, it also sparked worldwide condemnation – petitions from strangers to expel her from school, death and physical threats, and ultimately a $6 million lawsuit in the federal court system for "defamation" brought by her abuser. My little sister’s sexual assault, as well as the retaliatory lawsuit against her merely for speaking her truth, has come at a profound cost to her and our family. Katie only wanted to tell her story, shed light on the systemic injustice for sexual assault victims that she experienced, and empower other survivors while helping herself heal. But now, our family finds itself at this juncture – having incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars of legal bills, we now must ask for your support to defend our little sister in her fight for justice.  And we hope and believe justice will come.  In fact, discovery in this lawsuit has revealed that there was male DNA on Katie’s underwear, and further private testing that our family has pursued has identified sperm and male DNA on the other clothing she was wearing when she was assaulted.  As painful as it is to revisit and re-litigate the brutal assault she experienced, we are hopeful that Katie not only will be able to defeat the meritless defamation and other claims brought by her abuser, but also that she will obtain the validation and justice that she has been seeking and deserves.

<div>  We desperately need your support to continue this fight. The costs are enormous, on many levels. Your support, no matter how much, will be critical. Please help our family support Katie in her battle for justice in this broken system.   How hard would you fight for justice? For our family, the choice is to fight like hell. Your support for Katie will help survivors like her know that it’s OK to speak out without jeopardizing your life, financial security, family, or future. Let’s prove to all abusers that they will not win. Enough is enough. We’ve established multiple ways to donate, and are requesting donations on a rolling basis, as the anticipated court battle will be ongoing until (approximately) 2022: GoFundMe:  gf.me/u/y8xj8y Venmo:  @Marty-PPG Checks:    Attn: M. Reddington    600 Franklin Avenue, Suite 335    Garden City, NY 11530
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<div> *Katie's father, Martin, will be directly withdrawing funds from this GoFundMe and depositing them to an account dedicated to the legal fees.  
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Anonymous

Talya Gelfand

Monisha Mohan

Catherine Ryu

Keri Potts

S. Daniel Carter

Regan Curtis

Brooke Dougherty

Nikki Gregoroff

Kayla Pope

Kate Chisholm

Anne Rhodes

Rich and Susan McGraw

The Milmoe Family

Justice for Katie

Justice for Katie

Still $122,405 to go. Help us build momentum.