We’re looking forward to introducing you to Esq. Shari Karney. Check out our conversation below.
Shari, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
There are moments when I read the headlines or hear breaking news about powerful men—like Epstein, Prince Andrew, or Diddy—finally being held accountable, and I have to pause. I feel this quiet, profound pride rise up inside me.
Because behind those stories is something deeply personal. Years ago, I co-drafted, testified for, and fought tirelessly—over five long years—to help pass landmark legislation in California extending the statute of limitations for adult survivors of child sexual abuse. That single piece of law became the seed. It inspired the language and momentum for the Child Victims Act (CVA) and Adult Survivors Act (ASA) in New York, and ultimately, for similar reforms nationwide. It also led to passage of the nationwide federal legislation entitled: “Eliminating Civil Statutes of Limitations for Child Sex Abuse Victims.”
When I see survivors finally stepping into the light—telling their truths, reclaiming their power—I can’t help but smile. Those moments remind me that change doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen. And sometimes, the laws we write become lifelines for those who once thought they had none.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Shari Karney, an attorney, legal analyst, and leading crusader for justice on behalf of survivors of child sexual abuse, adult sexual violence, and sex trafficking. My work began with one goal: to change the laws that once silenced survivors and locked them out of the courthouse.
I was the leading force in co-drafting and getting landmark legislation passed in California that extended the statute of limitations for adult survivors of child sexual abuse—a law that became the seed which grew into a national movement. That legislation inspired similar laws across the country, including New York’s Child Victims Act (CVA) and Adult Survivors Act (ASA), giving thousands of survivors—like the 2,000 victims of the Epstein and Maxwell sex trafficking network—a chance to finally seek justice.
My lifelong mission has been to tear down the legal barriers that once protected predators and silenced the abused. I’ve stood at the intersection of law, media, and activism—featured on 60 Minutes and numerous outlets during the Amber Heard–Johnny Depp courtroom saga—as a legal voice for survivors, fighting to shift the national conversation from victim-blaming to survivor empowerment.
At my core, I am driven by the belief that when we change the law, we change lives. And when survivors are heard, believed, and seen—the entire nation takes a step toward justice.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I believed I was powerless. That my voice didn’t matter. I felt invisible to the very people who were supposed to love and protect me. I grew up believing I was helpless—at the mercy of those who held power over me.
But I don’t believe that anymore.
I’ve learned that voice is power. And the most radical act of healing is to use that voice—for yourself, and for others who still feel silenced. I found mine through the law, through advocacy, and through standing up for survivors who were told their time for justice had run out.
Every time a survivor steps forward and is heard, I’m reminded that the little girl I once was—the one who believed she didn’t matter—was wrong. She matters. We all matter. And every word, every truth spoken aloud, chips away at the walls of silence that once confined us.
My life’s mission is to make sure no survivor ever again feels voiceless, invisible, or powerless. Because I know what that feels like—and I also know what it feels like to rise.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me compassion—the kind that can’t be learned from comfort or success. It taught me what it feels like to be terrified, unseen, and powerless. To ache in silence. To carry pain that no one else could see.
It made me an empath. I know what it’s like to stand in the shoes of someone who’s scared or broken, because I’ve been there. While I’ve faced my share of narcissists and abusers, the only road forward for me was through empathy. Understanding pain—mine and others’—became both my armor and my calling.
Suffering also made me strong at the broken places. Every wound became a lesson in resilience. I often say, if I could survive my mother, I could survive anything. That pain forged me into who I am today—a woman who turns trauma into truth, and suffering into strength.
Success may open doors, but suffering taught me how to walk through them with grace, courage, and an open heart.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’m committed to justice for survivors of child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and all survivors of sexual and physical violence — for as long as it takes. This isn’t a project or a campaign. It’s my life’s purpose.
Survivors of Epstein, Maxwell, and countless others deserve more than sympathy — they deserve justice, truth, and lasting reform. For far too long, systems have protected the powerful and silenced the vulnerable. My mission is to change that: to shine light where darkness has hidden truth, to hold power accountable, and to help survivors reclaim their voices, their dignity, and their futures.
Justice is not quick, and it’s never easy. It demands persistence, courage, and an unwavering belief that change is possible. I will continue to fight for the silenced, the forgotten, and those still waiting to be believed — until every name is released, every enabler is held accountable, and every survivor finally sees justice.
This isn’t just about exposing a system. It’s about transforming one. It’s about ending the generational silence that allows abuse to thrive and creating a world where no one — no matter how powerful — is above the truth. That is my promise. And I will keep it, for as long as it takes.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say I turned my pain into purpose — that I transformed my own trauma into a force for justice that gave others their voice, their rights, and their hope back. That I helped spark the survivors’ civil rights movement we see and hear about today.
When I began this work, there was no national conversation about survivors’ rights. There were no laws protecting adult survivors of child sexual abuse. No movements. And almost no one willing to stand up and say, “Enough.” I stood and told my story of incest and child sexual and physical abuse — not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Someone had to break the silence. I was the first.
As a survivor, I fought to change the law in California, pioneering legislation to extend the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse. That landmark law became the model for justice nationwide. The very language I drafted in California was adopted into New York’s Child Victims Act (CVA) — the same law that opened courthouse doors to thousands of survivors and helped hold powerful figures like Epstein, Weinstein, Cosby, and others accountable. That foundation also helped shape the Adult Survivors Act (ASA), which expanded justice for adult survivors of sexual assault.
In 2022, I worked closely with Congress to help enact “Eliminating Civil Statute of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse Victims,” which President Joe Biden signed into law — ending time limits for survivors seeking civil justice.
If people remember me, I hope they remember that one survivor’s voice helped ignite a national movement — one that inspired 40 states and the nation to follow, one that refused to let silence win, one that proved survivors deserve more than survival; they deserve justice.
I never set out to be anyone’s Rosa Parks of survivors’ justice. I simply refused to stay quiet. But if that’s how history remembers me — as someone who stood up first so others could stand stronger — then I’ll rest knowing my fight helped change the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sharikarney.com, www.roaras1.org, www.karneyadvocates.com
- Instagram: @sharikarney
- Linkedin: sharikarney
- Twitter: @ShariKarney
- Facebook: Shari Karney-Speak, Heal, Empower
- Youtube: Shari Karney
- Other: Roar with Shari. . . Justice for Survivors
https://www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/roar-with-shari-all-things-justice-for-women-survivors/id1568779321
Image Credits
Shari Karney, Leonard Ludovico
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