Sexual Abuse Archives - Eisenberg & Baum, LLP

Reyna Lubin

October 20, 2020/ Partner Deaf Law Center, Employment Discrimination, Sexual Abuse

Reyna Lubin is a powerful advocate of justice and is dedicated to standing up for her client’s rights. She is a highly sought-after trial attorney and has successfully tried a broad range of discrimination matters throughout the nation’s state and federal courts. She represents individuals and non-profits injured by wrongful conduct. Her areas of practice include employment law, disability discrimination, sexual abuse, and fair housing matters.

Reyna has successfully obtained numerous favorable outcomes and verdicts for her clients. Her recent successes includes obtaining multiple six-figure settlements for clients subject to unlawful discrimination, retaliation, and termination by their employers; successfully defending summary judgment motions in federal court for clients who were subject to sexual harassment by their employer, obtaining a verdict in favor of a deaf client who was wrongfully discriminated against by a national career fair; obtaining multiple verdicts in favor of fair housing organizations against assisted living facilities for wrongfully discriminating against disabled individuals; and obtaining dozens of public consent decrees that seek to ensure equal housing for all.

Before joining the firm, Reyna was an Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. At the DAs office, Ms. Lubin handled over 2,000 cases involving intimate partner violence, including crimes of murder, sexual assault, firearm possession, unlawful dissemination of intimate images, and numerous other offenses. She earned her degrees from Louisiana State University. In law school, she inducted to the Wex Malone American Inn of Court for her exceptional trial advocacy skills. In college, she was a Division I student-athlete on the women’s soccer team

Reyna is a regular speaker on issues relating to sexual harassment and fair housing matters.

Adriana Alcalde

July 24, 2019/ Partner Deaf Law Center, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Harassment

For the past 20 years, Adriana Alcalde has helped victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, police misconduct, human trafficking, and child pornography. Adriana Alcalde was a prosecutor with the Broward County State Attorney’s Office in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. There she spent time in the Homicide, Special Victims, Sex Crimes, Crimes against Children, Domestic Violence and Public Corruption Units. She prosecuted individuals charged with Murder, Capital Sexual Battery, Lewd Molestation, Human Trafficking, Computer Crimes, Child Abuse and a myriad of other crimes.

During her time with the Homicide Unit, she never lost a murder trial. She was also charged with prosecuting police officers and public officials accused of official misconduct and corruption.
She has taught Law School Seminars instructing young lawyers in trial and litigation skills. She is a regular speaker on issues relating to civil remedies for victims of sex crimes or police misconduct. Ms. Alcalde has also been a commentator on national and local networks, commenting and discussing legal issues and her own cases. She earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Florida International University and her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law. She has tried over 150 jury trials in state and federal courts and both criminal and civil trials.

She now leads a team of lawyers at Eisenberg and Baum handling civil cases for survivors of sex crimes.

Adriana Alcalde in the Media

Testimonials

The highest regard

There are few things as frightening to a parent as having to deal with the aftermath of one of your children being preyed upon by a sexual predator. It’s our job to protect our children from the worst the world has to offer, but sometimes things happen beyond our sight and control. We had the great fortune of having Adriana as the prosecutor for our case and she fought tirelessly for justice. The case spanned several years with the perpetrator filing various appeals and causing the case to be tried multiple times. Adriana made sure she was involved for each trial and although she was a very busy prosecutor for the state, she kept us informed along the way. Even now, a few years after the final trial, she still maintains contact with our family, which is a very special thing and something that many would not. I never felt like we were a case or a job to Adriana. It was always personal to her and I get the feeling she handles every case with the same passion, heart, and professionalism. The highest regard I can give to this wonderful woman is that she made us feel safe again and she has my unending appreciation for that.

David Sanders

Hands down one of the best attorneys

I have worked with Adriana for several years as a sex crimes detective and believe she is one of the finest prosecutors I have worked with. She is professional, very intelligent, compassionate and has a true passion for her job. I have also watched Ms. Alcalde in the courtroom and am so impressed by her knowledge of the law, her eloquence of speech and her pit bull attitude to get the job done. She is hands down one of the best attorneys I have ever seen and am proud to know her personally.

Julie Bower

An unchallenged high moral character

Adriana Alcalde did an excellent job representing our family in a nightmarish situation that nobody should face (sexual assault/abuse). She was professional in and out of the courtroom with a perfect balance of personal care to make our victim feel valued and safe. Adriana was always responsive to our calls, needs, fears, and questions. We never felt uninformed before, during and after trial. And she is a bulldog in the courtroom! I genuinely believe we got the best representation possible and I would highly recommend her services because she has a fierce desire for justice. In my experience, Adriana’s honesty, sincere concern for victims’ rights and high moral character are unchallenged.

Joanne Baker

She is my hero

She is my hero. I couldn’t have asked for someone better to represent me in my case other than Adriana. She never for a second doubted me. She made it her duty to bring me and my family justice. I love her as a person and as an attorney, and I would recommend her to anyone and everyone who needs the help she provides.

Julianna Velez

A proud moment I will never forget

I am forever grateful to Adriana for fighting for and protecting my sister in a very difficult case. It was clear from day one that she believes in truth and justice. Watching her fight for it in court was a proud moment I will never forget. Thank you Adriana for helping give my sister peace & faith in the justice system.

Amanda Velez

Adriana is a charismatic, hard-working, determined, heartfelt humanitarian

There are no words to describe how excellent an attorney Adriana truly is, but like many of the other people who she has helped, I’m going to try. When I met Adriana, I was 16 and had just told my parents and the police about my ongoing sexual molestation. Not only was I terribly embarrassed, but I felt shame like nothing before. In a sense, I felt that the abuse was my fault and that I made it even worse by waiting so long to tell someone– well, at least that’s how the other side made it sound. Adriana would not let me have that mentality with her. Not only did she sympathize with me, but she made me feel as though I’m a stronger woman from this whole ordeal. There wasn’t a single time I walked into her office and felt like the victim; I came in as her friend.

Adriana is a charismatic, hard-working, determined, heartfelt humanitarian who connects with those of us who she’s defending.

She worked incessantly, around the clock, to keep my abuser locked away. And through the long hard years that she worked with me and my family, we forged such a strong bond that is going years after she helped me.

I’m so thankful that Adriana came into my life at the time she did because I have no idea where I would be today if it weren’t for her.

David John Hommel

November 1, 2018/ Partner Deaf Law Center, Sexual Abuse

David John Hommel focuses on litigation involving disability discrimination and sexual abuse. He has first-chair trial experience, handling motions, witness examinations, opening statements, and closing arguments.

Last fall, David won a federal jury trial in a disability-discrimination case as first chair where he directed the plaintiff and presented the closing argument. The case helped to expand the availability of financial compensation for plaintiffs who are discriminated against on the basis of race, sex, or disability. Specifically, David successfully argued that a plaintiff was entitled to the reasonable value of his or her expectation of equal treatment.

In addition, David is a director of the Appellate Practice Group. He has argued five cases before federal appellate courts and led the briefing in many other state and federal appeals. His appellate work primarily focuses on remedies, reasonable accommodations, and employment law.

For example, David obtained a reversal before the Second Circuit and revived an employee’s lawsuit when she failed to receive accommodations months after her employment started. David conducted a CLE on this case and other employment matters.

In another case, David persuaded the Fourth Circuit to reinstate a deaf father’s lawsuit against a hospital for failing to provide sign-language interpreters for his child’s birth. The case also resolved an open question in the Fourth Circuit concerning the standard to receive financial compensation.

Previously, David clerked for Judge Joanna Seybert in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and then served as a Court Law Clerk in the same district. Before and after his clerkship, he was in private practice managing and litigating insurance disputes. David earned his degrees from New York University and St. John’s University School of Law. At NYU, he captured the 2010 National Mock Trial Championship, receiving All-American honors. In law school, he served as the chief officer of the Moot Court Honor Society and won the 2014 National First Amendment Moot Court Competition.

David lives in Queens with his wife, their daughter, and her four-legged sidekick, Winnie. In his spare time, David is learning ASL to communicate with the deaf community and German to complain about Bayern Munich.

Eric M. Baum, Esq.

April 13, 2015/ Co-Founding Partner, Co-Managing Partner Artist Rights, Employment Discrimination, Personal Injury, Sexual Abuse

Eric M. Baum is a co-founding and co-managing partner of Eisenberg & Baum, LLP, where he is the head of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Baum has extensive experience litigating sexual harassment and discrimination claims. He has conducted hundreds of trials, mediations and arbitrations. Mr. Baum also litigates cases with the Law Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, prosecuting discrimination cases in State and Federal Courts.

Mr. Baum is admitted to practice in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and the District of Columbia as well as in the United States District Courts for the Southern District, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York. He is routinely admitted Pro Hac Vice in State and Federal Courts around the Country.

Mr. Baum holds a Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University and a Juris Doctorate from Widener Law School, where he was a member of the Trial Advocacy Honor Society.