Shari Karney

Shari Karney is a civil rights attorney, activist, survivor, speaker, author, and on-air legal pundit. She is renowned for her work in championing the rights of women and children, particularly in the area of sexual abuse law reform. Karney's personal and professional journey was depicted in the NBC movie "Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story," in which Melissa Gilbert starred and Karney served as Executive Producer.

As a respected legal expert and commentator, Karney has appeared on a range of major media outlets including Oprah, ABC PrimeTime, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, HLN, TruTV, Discovery Channel, Lifetime, Fox Television, and Inside Edition. She has provided expert commentary on high-profile sexual assault cases, including those involving Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, and Kevin Spacey. Karney frequently discusses legal strategies and reforms on television, and she was a key legal analyst during the Penn State child sexual assault trial, focusing on the Jerry Sandusky Trial.

Karney holds a law degree from Loyola Law School and is a summa cum laude graduate of UCLA, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She has also served as an adjunct law professor at Loyola Law School, where she created and taught the nation's first Child Sexual Abuse Litigation Course. Her commitment to legal education and reform is further evident in her role in pioneering crucial legislation. Notably, her efforts led to the enactment of the "Karney Uniform Statute of Limitations Act," aimed at eliminating the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse nationwide, including in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and on Native American Tribal Lands.

In addition to her legal work, Karney is the founder of ROAR as ONE, a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for survivors of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. The organization's mission emphasizes justice for survivors, striving to make legal justice more accessible. Karney's involvement with legislative changes, such as consulting with the California Women’s Law Center on the "Cosby Bill" (SB 813), which eliminated the criminal statute of limitations for certain sexual offenses when signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on September 28, 2016, highlights her impact in the field.

Currently, Karney continues to speak on crucial topics at various venues, including an appearance at the United Nations in New York to discuss global issues of child sexual abuse and violence against women. Her life experiences and professional expertise make her a powerful voice in the fight against sexual abuse and for the rights of victims.