Today, Vice News released the documentary Love Serve Surrender, a powerful film about the struggle of five boys in Hawaii to expose Jay Ram, the foster father who sexually abused them and more than two dozen more.
If ever there were a case where moral value and public imperative are tantamount, this case is it.
Throughout their adult lives, Jay’s adopted and foster sons climbed a mountain of adversity. They struggled with the shame and trauma of their abuse and their life with Jay on his Big Island farm. Then, when they were strong enough to try and protect other children, they were turned back by the justice system, who said they came forward too late.
Fortunately, brave Hawaii legislator Maile Shimabukuro sponsored and passed Hawaii’s civil window, a law allowing victims to come forward and use the courts, no matter when the abuse occurred. The boys finally had their chance. But with little chance of any compensation, lawyers were reticent to take their case. The process would be long and involved, and for a time, the boys didn’t even know where Jay was living.
We understood that the moral value of this case was far more important than anything else. The boys don’t want Jay’s money. They want him off the streets and behind bars. They knew that a civil case was the first step in exposing Jay and getting the evidence necessary to hold him accountable for his crimes. The boys were there for all of the right reasons, and we at Jeff Anderson and Associates and the Law Offices of Mark Gallagher knew that we had to take the case. Like the boys, we knew that exposing Jay is the right thing to do. So, we decided to partner with these brave boys—now men—to make that happen.
Hawaii’s civil window for victims closes on April 24. After that, victims of Jay Ram and other predators may have no more rights in the courts.
You can watch the entire documentary here: Love Serve Surrender.