Skip to main content

Ja'Mesha

I should not have been a victim. And if it takes for me to be uncomfortable, I will do that for the sake of making sure that it doesn't happen again.

jamesha-morgan

"They were just so patient with giving me time to even tell that story. And I just remember feeling really comfortable. That was sort of the start of what has been a great experience."

Transcript

  • 00:00 So my name is Ja'Mesha. I went to USC for law school. Originally, I wasn't looking for a lawyer and I wasn't looking to be a part of a suit. My experience with USC was so poor that I personally felt like when the school started to gather information, particularly about our case...
  • 00:08 ...the individuals they had gathering information sort of insinuated, for lack of a better term, that I was lying. So I remember being asked, can you tell us what he looked like and feeling like, are you just trying to get at whether or not I really had him as a doctor? Like, are you accusing me of being part of this major news story and just wanting to have something to say? And so originally I wasn't going to call anyone.
  • 00:44 I think in terms of deciding to come forward, the first piece for me was really just trying to support other students at the institution. So to just understand that his first complaint was in 1989, and I was born in 1993, I should not have been a victim. And I think that alone is enough for you to say, enough is enough. And if it takes for me to be uncomfortable, I will do that for the sake of making sure that it doesn't happen again.
  • 01:15 At the time, the LA Times had done a journalistic investigative piece and John Manly had been quoted in the piece. You know, I'm a young lawyer, I have no idea what I'm doing. And all I could think was, what would I look for in a lawyer in the way that I would want my clients to look for in me?
  • 01:33 The question became what would make me comfortable advocating for myself and what I think is sort of my most vulnerable narrative? And it was lawyers that understood the sensitivity of that and one offered resource and made sure that you were prepared for what you were taking on. But two, communicative every step of the way in terms of what to expect and how to prepare. And when I first spoke with someone at the firm, they were just so patient with giving me time to even tell that story. And it's you, you kind of choke on your words trying to explain what you experienced. And I just remember feeling really comfortable. And that was sort of the start of what has been a great experience.