Marla Hanson
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Marla Hanson is a screenwriter and ex-model.
Born in Independence, Missouri, Hanson attended college in Dallas, Texas. After working selling real estate and insurance, a job promotion brought her to New York. There, a part-time modelling job eventually became a full-time career in the 1980s.
In June 1986, she rejected the sexual advances of her landlord, Steve Roth. Roth hired two friends to attack Hanson. During the assault, Hanson's face was slashed with a razor blade, leaving wounds that required surgery and 100 stitches to close the three cuts on her face.[1]
Hanson's attackers were brought to trial soon afterwards. Hanson was subjected to a controversial cross examination by defense attorney Alton H. Maddox, whose questions included sexual innuendo and an allegation that Hanson had 'racial hangups'.[2] Hanson and her attorney later gave a televised interview criticizing the criminal-justice system for allowing her to be humiliated on the witness stand.
All three men were found guilty of the crime. Judge Jeffery Atlas gave Roth the 5 to 15 year maximum sentence, but not before criticizing Hanson and her attorney for the remarks they had made. After a brief recess, Atlas apologized to Hanson.[3] Hanson has since lobbied for reform in the way victims of crimes are treated in criminal courts. Her works as a screenwriter include:
- The Blackout (1998)
- Subway Stories (1997)
The story of the attack on Hanson was made into a TV movie entitled "The Marla Hanson Story" in 1991.
[edit] References
- ^ Purdum, Todd S. "MODEL SLASHED; AN EX-LANDLORD IS AMONG 3 HELD", The New York Times, June 6, 1986. "Miss Hanson was in stable condition at St. Vincent's Hospital yesterday after undergoing surgery and receiving about 100 stitches for three cuts on her face."
- ^ Shipp, E. R. "DEFENSE LAWYERS' TACTICS: UNFAIR OR JUST AGGRESSIVE?", The New York Times, April 21, 1987. Accessed October 6, 2007.
- ^ James, George. "MAN GIVEN 5-TO-15-YEAR TERM IN MODEL'S SLASHING", The New York Times, May 12, 1987. Accessed October 7, 2007. "As Judge Atlas spoke, Miss Hanson, a 25-year-old model, put her face in her hands and wept. Later, after a brief recess, the judge apologized to Miss Hanson, saying he realized that testifying had been 'a painful experience.'"
