Sanctuary For Families Honors Ronnie Eldridge And Richard A. Rothman For Their Work In Fighting Gender Violence

More than 275 members of New York’s legal, civic and anti-gender violence communities gathered on September 25 to honor Ronnie Eldridge, former New York City Councilwoman, current CUNY television host and longtime social justice advocate, and Richard A. Rothman, Senior Counsel at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, at Sanctuary for Families’s 21st Abely Awards. The annual awards, co-hosted with Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (Davis Polk) and Columbia Law School, recognize individuals who make a difference in the lives of domestic violence and sex trafficking survivors.

Ms. Eldridge received The Abely Award for Leading Women and Children to Safety. As an elected official, she championed the causes of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors by authoring legislation, advocating and obtaining funding for critically important support programs. Hon. Janet DiFiore, Chief Judge of the State of New York, presented Ms. Eldridge with her award.

Mr. Rothman received The Abely Pro Bono Achievement Award. Under his direction and working with Sanctuary, Weil won parole for an incarcerated victim of domestic abuse who served 23 years for killing her abuser. He has done extensive pro bono work throughout his career and is currently leading the firm’s human trafficking initiative. His award was presented by Dorchen Leidholdt, Director of Sanctuary for Families’ Legal Center.

Since 1997, the Abely Awards have honored the memory of Maryellen Abely, an alumna of Columbia Law School, an associate at Davis Polk and one of the first pro bono attorneys at Sanctuary’s Legal Center. Abely was a tireless advocate for the rights of survivors of domestic abuse. She died in 1995 after a long battle with cancer.

“Ronnie Eldridge and Richard Rothman share a passion for justice and intolerance for gender violence, something in common with Maryellen Abely,” said Hon. Judy Harris Kluger, Executive Director, Sanctuary for Families. “We honor their commitment, their common bond, and the work each has done to bring safety and security to survivors of intimate partner violence and sex trafficking.”

Sharon Katz, Special Counsel for Pro Bono at Davis Polk, gave opening remarks. Ms. Katz received the Abely Pro Bono Achievement Award in 2016.

Yiqing Shi, a Second-Year Student at Columbia Law School, was recognized as the 2017 Maryellen Abely Fellow. The fellowship, funded by Davis Polk, allows a Columbia Law student to spend the summer working at Sanctuary’s Legal Center. She was introduced by Gillian Lester, Dean and the Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law at Columbia Law.

Notable attendees at this year’s ceremony included NYC Council Member Helen Rosenthal, former NYC Comptroller William Thompson and representatives of NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

For more information about the 21st Annual Abely Awards, visit https://www.sanctuaryforfamilies.org/event/abelyawards/ or call 212-349-6009 x274.

Sanctuary for Families is New York’s leading service provider and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and related forms of gender violence. Each year, Sanctuary empowers thousands of adults and children to move from fear and abuse to safety and stability, transforming lives through a comprehensive range of services.