MEDIA ADVISORY: Protect Our Defenders to Attend Oral Arguments in Lawsuit Against Pentagon on Behalf of Sexual Assault Victims Today
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2014 Contact: Max Wertheimer, 415-303-1584, max@protectourdefenders.com
*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***
PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS TO ATTEND ORAL ARGUMENTS IN LAWSUIT AGAINST PENTAGON ON BEHALF OF SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS TODAY BEFORE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS D.C. CIRCUIT
Washington DC – Today, February 18, at 2:00 PM E.T., Attorney Susan Burke of Burke PLLC will argue before the United States Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit on behalf of members of the United States Navy and Marine Corps who faced retaliation for reporting rape and sexual assault. Their case was dismissed by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia last year.
Protect Our Defenders (POD) partners with Attorney Susan Burke to advance lawsuits filed against the DoD and service academies for repeatedly ignoring rape, sexual assault and harassment, failing to prosecute perpetrators and retaliating against the victim. POD’s Policy Director Miranda Petersen who worked for Attorney Burke before joining the non-profit will be attending the oral arguments today and is available for comment.
Ariana Klay, the lead plaintiff in the case, was retaliated against after reporting being raped at the prestigious Marine Barracks Washington. Her story was featured in the documentary film The Invisible War. Last year, Ariana Klay and her husband, Ben Klay, spoke at a press conference calling for fundamental reform to the broken military justice system.
WHO:
Attorney Susan Burke
Protect Our Defenders’ Miranda Petersen
WHEN:
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
2:00 PM ET
WHERE:
E. Barrett Prettyman
U.S. Courthouse and William B. Bryant Annex
333 Constitution Ave., NW Washington, DC 20001
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Veteran Ariana Klay and Husband Ben Klay Call for Fundemental Reform at Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Press Conference
ESPN: The U.S. military’s enemy within
https://www.protectourdefenders.com/espn-the-u-s-militarys-enemy-within/
San Antonio Express-News: Hagel misses important opportunity
Legislation supported to pull sex-assault cases from chain of command
http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Legislation-supported-to-pull-sex-assault-cases-4742418.php
About Protect Our Defenders: Protect Our Defenders is a human rights organization. We seek to honor, support and give voice to the brave women and men in uniform who have been sexually assaulted while serving their country, and re-victimized by the military adjudication system – a system that often blames the victim and fails to prosecute the perpetrator. Learn more about Protect Our Defenders at www.protectourdefenders.com or on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ProtectOurDefenders or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ProtectRDfnders.
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