&Me: Spotlighting Carrie Goldberg
January 18, 2018
Inspired by our “Feminists&Me” tee, the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) continues its “Spotlight on Feminists” series by highlighting and honoring individuals who work to make a difference every day through our “&Me” series of interviews. NNEDV previously honored the women featured in this design: Sojourner Truth & Susan B. Anthony & bell hooks & Gloria Steinem & Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Read the rest of our &Me series here.
NNEDV: First, tell us about yourself – who are you and what do you do?
Carrie Goldberg: I am a victims’ rights lawyer based in Brooklyn. My law firm C.A. Goldberg, PLLC is fiercely committed to fighting for targets of online harassment, sexual assault, and blackmail throughout the country. We go after the a-holes, pervs, and psychos – individuals and institutions – who’ve targeted our clients. Recently my team has begun litigations against anti-abortion terrorists who harass providers and activists.
NNEDV: What are you currently working on related to nonviolence and/or gender equality?
CG: Right now, 3 of our firm’s 7 open US DOE OCR investigations are against the NYC DOE. Soon we’ll be duking it out in court. I know for a fact that the NYC public school system punishes girls of color who report sexual assault by a peer. And I will prove that. Although we’ve been disappointed by how some colleges and universities responded to our clients’ reports of sexual violence, it’s truly abhorrent what’s happening in that realm in K-12. At least in colleges, there are policies and protocols usually, even if they aren’t complied with. In K-12 there aren’t even those.
I am also really proud of our litigation against Grindr and our representation of the victim in the federal prosecution of Juan Thompson. Both of those clients were the targets of relentless and violent stalking, doxing, and hoax threats. We have a great case against Chipotle stemming from them ousting a breastfeeding mother from one of their restaurants. Finally, our work against anti-abortion extremists who terrorize providers online and offline is very meaningful.
NNEDV: Why is this work important to you? What inspires you to continue it?
CG: I stand for the belief that no matter who you are – public figure, college student, doctor – everyone is a moment away from meeting someone who is determined to f*ck with them and destroy their lives. I’ve been there personally and it’s why I risked everything to start my firm and become the lawyer I needed. I knew others did too. It’s important to contribute to a society that values sexual privacy and won’t tolerate anyone violating it. Everybody deserves exclusive control about what goes in and what comes out of them. My clients and my staff inspire me to continue.
NNEDV: Let’s say you woke up this morning and gender-based violence had been completely eradicated. What are you going to do now?
CG: That’s unfathomable. I guess I’d focus harder on training for triathlons and finish the 98% of Proust I have left.
NNEDV: If you could sit down over your beverage of choice with any person – living or dead – who would it be and why?
CG: Hitler. Just to torture him. Sorry, I worked with Holocaust Survivors for 5 years. I owe it to them. Not all of us victims’ rights lawyers are peaceful people.
Learn more about Carrie Goldberg’s work here: