Terminally Ill Woman Among 1,600 Suing New York for Prison Sexual Abuse

Who Is Sierra Johnson and What Does She Allege?

Sierra Johnson, a 36-year-old Native American resident of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, filed a lawsuit against New York State in 2023. She alleges that four state employees sexually assaulted her while she was incarcerated in two state prisons during separate stints in 2014 and 2017.

In her complaint, Johnson details several instances of alleged abuse:

• Three corrections officers allegedly raped and groped her

• A doctor allegedly performed a sexually abusive medical procedure

• One officer, David Stupnick, allegedly brutally raped her in her dormitory room

Speaking from her hospital bed at the University of Vermont Medical Center in May 2025, where she was recovering from a two-week stint in intensive care after suffering a severe heart attack and cardiogenic shock, Johnson explained her motivation: "It's not just about me. If it was, I would have just ate it. But I don't know if I'm gonna make it through this year. And no matter what, when it comes to the treatment of inmates, we should be treated as human beings."

The Scale of Abuse Claims Against New York State

Johnson is one of nearly 1,600 women who have filed claims against the state of New York alleging sexual abuse by prison staff, according to a Hell Gate and New York Focus analysis. These lawsuits were filed under the Adult Survivors Act, which in 2022 temporarily allowed sexual assault survivors to file complaints outside of the typical statute of limitations.

The financial implications are staggering:

• New York is being sued for at least $30 billion in damages by claimants alleging sexual abuse in state prisons

• More than 3,000 total claims were filed during the one-year window the Adult Survivors Act opened

• Johnson's attorneys are seeking $25 million in damages in her case alone

What Happened at Albion Correctional Facility?

First Incarceration in 2014

Johnson was first incarcerated at Albion Correctional Facility in 2014 due to a parole violation for an earlier attempted robbery charge. She alleges multiple instances of abuse during this period:

• An officer whose name she says she can't remember allegedly told her to perform oral sex on him twice in a secluded shower area, threatening to withhold her needed contact lenses if she refused

• Another officer allegedly rubbed his groin on her while she sat at a desk in a school building on two occasions, making sexual and racist comments, including calling women "Pocahontas"

"I felt so singled out," Johnson said, beginning to cry during her interview. "But then I noticed the real rules of surviving there. Everybody knows it's all about sex trade. It's all about using your body, using manipulation, and having to give up the fact that you're human."

Return to Prison in 2017

When Johnson was sent to prison again in 2017, she first went to Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, where she alleges a doctor abused her during intake. According to her complaint, she was:

• Summoned to the doctor's office and told she had abnormal gynecological test results

• Informed she needed an immediate uterine biopsy

• Held down as the doctor forced a speculum and fingers into her vagina while she said "no"

• Left bleeding for several days, and has never had a menstrual cycle since

The David Stupnick Allegations

After Bedford Hills, Johnson was sent back to Albion, where she says corrections officer David Stupnick targeted her. Johnson alleges two specific instances of abuse:

1. Shower assault: Stupnick came into the showers while she was bathing, groped her chest and groin, insulted her body, and laughed

2. Dormitory rape: Stupnick followed her from the shower to her dorm, where he shoved her head into her closed locker and anally raped her while she was wearing only a pink robe

   
   

Stupnick's criminal history adds weight to these allegations:

• In 2020, he pleaded guilty to a criminal sex act after being charged with sexually abusing two incarcerated women at Albion

• He was sentenced to six months in county jail and required to register as a sex offender

• At least 20 other women have accused Stupnick of sexual abuse under the Adult Survivors Act, with claims ranging from 2001 to 2019

How Is New York State Responding to These Lawsuits?

Despite Governor Kathy Hochul's statement when signing the Adult Survivors Act that it was "an important step in empowering survivors across New York to use their voices and hold their abusers accountable," her administration has taken what attorneys describe as an uncompromising defensive approach.

The Attorney General's Strategy

The Office of Attorney General Letitia James, responsible for defending the state, has:

• Opted to litigate each case individually rather than pursue settlements

• Delayed disclosure of records that could help identify alleged sexual abusers still working in prisons

• Sought to dismiss claims when claimants don't remember perpetrators' names

• Taken Johnson's case to trial despite one of her alleged abusers already being convicted of sex crimes

Anna Kull, Johnson's attorney and partner at Levy Konigsberg, said this approach risks retraumatizing victims "by forcing them to repeatedly relive the alleged assault in an adversarial setting."

Official Responses

The attorney general's office defended its approach, with communications director Geoff Burgan stating: "Sexual assault victims deserve to be heard, respected, and to pursue justice through the Adult Survivors Act. As the state's attorney, the office is committed to fulfilling its responsibility to defend the state while supporting survivors and their ability to heal."

The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said it "thoroughly investigates" all reports of sexual victimization and refers cases for prosecution where there is evidence of a crime. The agency noted that in 2025, it expanded the number of staff employed to prevent and respond to sexual abuse.

Governor Hochul's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Hell Gate and New York Focus.

Why Didn't Legislators Anticipate This Volume of State Lawsuits?

State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a lead sponsor of the Adult Survivors Act, admitted that legislators didn't expect the majority of lawsuits would be against the state itself.

"I don't think anyone expected it," he said. "I think my colleagues and I were all aghast at the numbers, and then the details of the crimes were particularly appalling."

The state isn't alone in facing this wave of litigation. New York City faces more than 700 Adult Survivors Act lawsuits from women alleging sexual assault by staff at the Rikers Island women's jail, with cases spanning more than 50 years. Some of those lawsuits are already in the settlement phase.

Johnson's Case Moves Forward Despite Terminal Diagnosis

Kull recently convinced a court to expedite Johnson's case due to her illness, making it one of the first Adult Survivors Act cases with allegations from the five largest women's prisons to move toward trial. The lawsuit is currently in the discovery phase.

However, Kull estimated that other cases could take years to resolve due to the state's aggressive litigation approach. If Johnson does not live to see a resolution, any damages awarded would go to her estate.

Breaking Cycles of Intergenerational Trauma

Johnson said she discovered the opportunity to file her lawsuit years after leaving prison, while studying to become a mental health and substance abuse counselor. She heard a radio ad about the Adult Survivors Act.

"I just sat there and I cried," she said. "It made me realize I'm not going to heal if I have to carry this."

For Johnson, a mother to a teenage daughter, the lawsuit represents more than personal justice. She sees it as part of healing her Native American community and breaking cycles of institutional abuse.

"It goes beyond just my own little life," she explained. "Before that, there was intergenerational trauma: watching my mother, watching my people as Indigenous people becoming institutionalized and being removed from their homes. They tried to wipe us out. And being incarcerated is just an evolution of what has already been happening for generations."

She added: "I had to experience all of these things firsthand. The only thing that made sense to me was that maybe, just maybe, I was destined to start breaking a cycle of abuse."

Johnson emphasized that she isn't motivated by a settlement but by the possibility of making state prisons safer for future generations of women. Despite her terminal diagnosis, she remains committed to seeing her case through, viewing it as her legacy in the fight against systemic sexual abuse in New York's prison system.

If you would like to explore your legal options, The Legal Link can connect you with resources to help you take the next step. Initial consultations are always free and confidential.

The Legal Link provides legal news and resources. We are not a law firm, do not provide legal advice. This article is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

If you are a survivor of sexual assault or abuse, know that you are not alone. Confidential support is available:

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): 1-800-656-4673 or rainn.org (24/7 support line)

• National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center: niwrc.org for culturally specific resources and advocacy