Carrie Anne Cavallo
Brooklyn Women’s
Bar Association President
The Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association extends a grateful thank you to Governor Andrew Cuomo for making Lavern's Law the law of New York. Our mission and the mission of WBASNY, the largest bar association in the State of New York devoted to women’s issues, of which we are a chapter, is to advocate for legislation that promotes equal access to justice and gender equality. Passage of this law ensures equal access to justice for victims of a failure or a delay in diagnosing cancer. The failure or the delay in diagnosing cancer disproportionately affects women, as women are more vulnerable and at a higher risk for being a victim of this type of medical error in that women routinely undergo annual mammograms and other annual gynecological testing. Lavern's Law, which is also known as the "date of discovery" rule, allows the statute of limitations to start to run from the date the victims learn or should have learned they have cancer. WE appreciate Governor Cuomo's pledge to look towards the future and thank him for his leadership. Governor Cuomo's commitment to protecting cancer patients and their families confirms his promise of a progressive agenda and demonstrates its delivery.