Brooklyn DIY Rape Kit Company Ordered To Cease And Desist By AG

DOWNTOWN, BROOKLYN — A Brooklyn start-up making the first-ever DIY rape kits has been ordered to stop selling the kits before they even officially hit the market.

Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday that she sent a "cease and desist" order to the MeToo Kits company after the Downtown Brooklyn-based company began marketing at-home sexual assault evidence kits.

The order is the latest controversy surrounding the DIY kits, which the company advertises as a way for sexual assault survivors to regain control.

Like others who have slammed the kits for being "morally and legally irresponsible," James said the at-home kit give false hope to rape victims that they can collect evidence without the help of medical professionals.

“Sexual assault is a real problem that demands a real response,” James said. “I am deeply concerned about companies selling kits that deter individuals from seeking professional care and purport to collect evidence without knowing whether the evidence will be admissible in court. We must ensure that all survivors of sexual assault are not misled and that justice is served.”

James is the second attorney general to put out an order against the company.

Last week, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a similar cease and desist order against MeToo, arguing that they were trying to take "financial advantage" of sexual assault survivors.

The company also came under fire by The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault.

MeToo responded to James' cease and desist order by saying the AG "is missing the bigger picture."

"MeToo Kit's mission is to help survivors of sexual assault who are unwilling to go to the police or the hospital to collect time-sensitive DNA evidence," CEO Madison Campbell said, noting that she too is a survivor of sexual assault. "While we agree with the AG James that the traditional public health and legal system do not charge for the collection of sexual assault evidence, many survivors find their interactions with these systems traumatic in terms of time and emotion."

Campbell said in both the response to James and Nessel that the company hopes the kits can help address a gap in the rape cases that are reported, but rarely lead to arrest, in each state. In New York only 12 percent of the 6,555 reported rape cases result in arrest each year.

She added that judges determine the admissibility of rape kits in each instance, even when performed by the state, and that MeToo hopes to prove its admissibility once the kits are out of the development stage.

In her order, though, James contended that the company should not be selling rape kits for a profit when free options exist for victims. New York State provides free sexual assault exams and evidence collection done by medical professionals, she said.

Campbell said that MeToo hopes to work with organizations to make their kits free for sexual survivors as well.

She added that the quality of the evidence collectors is a concern given that they are performed at home and therefore may not be admissible in a court case.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you may seek support and information about access to free sexual assault examinations and evidence collection kits from the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault by visiting http://nyscasa.org/get-help/ or calling 1-800-942-6906.