NEW YORK, NY — September 9, 2026 — Mesidor PLLC and The Palmore Law Group, P.C. have filed a civil action on behalf of author and public figure Carmen Bryan against Victor James Santiago Jr., professionally known as “N.O.R.E.,” alleging sexual assault and gender-motivated violence arising from an incident at a Manhattan nightclub in or about May 1999.
According to the complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Bryan alleges that Santiago approached her while visibly intoxicated inside a crowded nightclub, forcibly grabbed intimate areas of her body, sexually assaulted her without consent, and ignored her repeated objections and pleas for him to stop. The complaint alleges that the assault ended only after third parties intervened and physically pulled Santiago away from Bryan.
The complaint further alleges that after Bryan and her friends left the nightclub, Santiago followed them outside. Once he recognized Bryan, he apologized and stated in substance, “Carm, I didn’t know it was you,” an explanation the complaint alleges he repeated again weeks later. According to the filing, after Bryan provided formal legal notice of her claims in 2026, Santiago later denied knowing her.
Mesidor PLLC, The Palmore Law Group, P.C., and Carmen Bryan issued the following joint statement:
When Victor Santiago Jr. grabbed and sexually assaulted Carmen Bryan in a crowded Manhattan nightclub, he acted with a blatant disregard for her dignity, safety, and bodily autonomy. Immediately following the assault, after being confronted under the streetlights outside the venue, Santiago claimed he did not know who she was when he grabbed her, stating in substance, ‘Carm, I didn’t know it was you’—a reaction he later repeated. When formal legal notice was served, his response was to claim that he did not know her at all.
This shifting defense exposes a disturbing reality: the implication that a woman’s bodily integrity only matters if her name or identity is recognized. It forces us to ponder the countless nameless women who have been subjected to similar assault, battery, and public humiliation in male-dominated entertainment spaces. For far too long, the music and nightlife industries have normalized sexual violence, treating non-consensual contact and physical domination as an occupational hazard or ‘par for the course’—as if enduring abuse is somehow what women signed up for when entering these spaces.
No woman signs up to be assaulted. The assertion that an assault is excusable—or simply did not happen—because a perpetrator failed to recognize his victim strips women of their fundamental humanity. Ms. Bryan is coming forward not only to demand accountability for the lasting trauma and public humiliation inflicted upon her, but to challenge the culture of entitlement that treats women’s bodies as collateral damage.
The lawsuit is brought under the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (“GMVA”), including its 2026 amendment addressing gender-motivated violence occurring before January 9, 2022. The complaint asserts that the amendment provides an independent municipal civil cause of action for historical gender-motivated violence occurring within New York City.
Bryan alleges that the assault caused lasting emotional and psychological harm, including humiliation, anxiety, trauma symptoms, flashbacks, sleep and appetite disturbances, and the need for therapy.
Through the action, Bryan seeks compensatory and punitive damages, damages for emotional distress and related harms, attorneys’ fees and costs, interest, declaratory relief, and any other relief available under applicable law. Bryan has demanded a jury trial.
About Mesidor PLLC
Mesidor PLLC is a boutique law firm representing employees in matters involving workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and misconduct. The firm is committed to empowering individuals and driving systemic change in every industry.
Media Contact
Briana Willis
Impact and Engagement Strategist
Mesidor PLLC
bw@marjoriemesidor.com
631-759-5561