The Hardest Part of Coming Forward Shouldn’t Be Losing Your Privacy
⚠️ Content Advisory: This article discusses child sexual abuse. Support is available through RAINN at 800-656-4673.
Meagan Dove, Counsel at Singleton Schreiber, authored an op-ed titled “The Hardest Part of Coming Forward Shouldn’t Be Losing Your Privacy,” published by The Recorder on October 21, 2026.
Dove represents sexual assault survivors across the country, including the plaintiff in Jane Doe v. Crossline Community Church. In the op-ed, Dove discusses the court’s decision allowing Dove’s client to pursue the case under a pseudonym.
The piece addresses whether survivors of institutional sexual abuse may proceed anonymously in civil litigation. Crossline Community Church opposed the plaintiff’s request to proceed as Jane Doe, and a California court granted the request, with the church’s access to the plaintiff’s identity governed by a protective order. Dove notes that California law allows plaintiffs to use pseudonyms when their privacy interests outweigh the public’s interest in open proceedings, and that the allegations, evidence, and rulings remain public while only the survivor’s name is withheld.
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My client can now pursue her case without having to choose between justice and privacy.
MEAGAN DOVE, ATTORNEY
