***Press Release*** Governor Newsom Signs Survivor Privacy Bill Inspired by Denise Huskins Quinn’s Experience
New California law establishes safeguards for sexually explicit evidence involving adult victims
Press Contact: Bridgette Stumpf, CEO and Co-Founder of Volare, 202-742-1727
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — September 30, 2026 Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1056 into law, establishing new protections for sexually explicit evidence involving adult victims in California criminal cases.
Authored by Senator Tim Grayson and advanced in partnership with survivor advocates Denise Huskins Quinn and Aaron Quinn and national victim advocacy organization Volare, the law requires courts in covered cases to issue protective orders designed to prevent unnecessary copying, transmission, and dissemination of sexually explicit evidence while preserving defendants’ constitutional rights.
“Today is a testament to what happens when survivors identify a gap in our justice system and policymakers listen,” said Bridgette Stumpf, CEO and Co-Founder of Volare. “Denise and Aaron turned an experience that never should have happened into a concrete protection for survivors across California. We hope this law becomes a model for how other states protect survivor privacy as technology continues to change the nature of evidence.”
“At its core, SB 1056 is about dignity,” said Senator Tim Grayson (D-Concord), author of SB 1056. “It ensures that survivors are afforded meaningful privacy protections through clear and consistent standards, and ensures that they alone have the right to control their own story while seeking justice.”
SB 1056 was inspired by Denise’s experience following her 2015 kidnapping and sexual assault, later chronicled in the Netflix documentary American Nightmare. After her assailant was convicted, Denise learned that sexually explicit recordings documenting the assaults had remained outside the court’s control, exposing a gap in California law governing this deeply sensitive evidence.
“When survivors report a crime, we understand that the most intimate moments of our lives may become evidence,” said Denise Huskins Quinn. “But we shouldn’t have to surrender our privacy forever. No survivor should have to wonder who can access recordings of their abuse or where those recordings may end up years later. I am incredibly grateful that California has recognized that survivors deserve both justice and dignity.”
“Denise and I never imagined we’d become advocates,” said Aaron Quinn. “We simply wanted to make sure what happened to us didn’t happen to someone else. Seeing SB 1056 become law shows what can happen when survivors are heard and people come together to fix a gap in the system.”
"Protecting victim privacy is essential to a fair and compassionate justice system,” said Assemblymember Juan Alanis. “SB 1056 delivers on that commitment, and we are honored to partner with Senator Grayson to champion this critical legislation."
“Trauma-informed justice is also about how survivors are treated throughout the legal process,” said Claire Selib, Executive Director, National Organization for Victim Advocacy (NOVA). “SB 1056 establishes clear expectations for handling extraordinarily sensitive evidence and recognizes that a survivor’s privacy continues to matter after evidence is collected.”
Volare partnered with Denise and Aaron, with support from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, in advancing SB 1056, drawing upon its experience representing and advocating for victims and survivors nationwide and working with policymakers and stakeholders throughout the legislative process.
About Volare
Volare is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every victim and survivor has access to justice, healing, and hope. Through legal services, advocacy, therapeutic support, education, and policy reform, Volare works to build systems that are more trauma-informed, equitable, and responsive to the needs of victims and survivors.
For more information, visit www.volare-empowers.org.
Press Contact: Bridgette Stumpf
CEO and Co-Founder of
Volare
202-742-1727
