Miranda Pacchiana, the sister of popular MythBusters star Adam Savage, announced that she was going to sue her brother in 2020. The details of the lawsuit have surfaced, and they are really disturbing.
Miranda has been blogging at a site called The Second Wound for four years. She often writes about the mental wounds she carries as the result of being raped by an older brother. Up until this week, she had never publicly named which brother she has been writing about. Now Miranda alleges that her brother raped her between 1976 and 1979, starting when she was only 7 years old. Her brother was 9 years old when the attacks are said to have begun.
Adam has accused Miranda of looking for money and has noted that they have not spoken in 20 years. Miranda's lawsuit states, "Beginning in or about 1976 and continuing until approximately 1979, Adam Savage, would repeatedly rape Miranda Pacchiana and force oral sex upon her, and forced Miranda to perform oral sex on him, along with other forms of sexual abuse."
The suit also alleges that Adam nicknamed himself the "raping blob" and told Miranda the alleged attacks were part of a game.
Miranda has been chronicling the experience on The Second Wound. In the About section of the site, she explains, "When I first disclosed to my family that my brother had abused me as a child, I thought my whole world would change."
"I assumed my family members would share my desire to examine what had gone wrong in our home and pursue a path toward healing together. I was sadly mistaken. In fact, their behaviors left me feeling as though the abuse didn't really matter. Yes, they believed me — but my family members still seemed determined to brush my trauma under the rug. Over time, I came to realize they viewed me as the problem for focusing on the abuse. Not the brother who had abused me."
Miranda's lawsuit was filed under the New York Child Victims Act, which was established to give victims of childhood sexual abuse and assault one year to file claims and lawsuits against their alleged abusers. Typically, a case like Miranda's would be prevented by the statute of limitations, but this act paused those.
Miranda's lawyer, Jordan Merson, has stated, "The prolific abuse by Mr. Savage as alleged in the Complaint has caused irreparable damage to my client that she will live with for the rest of her life. Today is the first step in the direction of healing and justice."
Adam Savage has his own lawyer, Andrew Brettler, who has issued a denial on behalf of his client: "While I hope that my sister gets the help she needs to find peace, this needs to end. For many years, she has relentlessly and falsely attacked me and other members of my family to anyone who will listen."
"By spreading numerous untrue stories about us in pursuit of a financial bonanza, she has tortured our entire family and estranged herself from all of us. I will fight this groundless and offensive lawsuit and work to put this to rest once and for all."
Adam is also supported by their mother, Karen Savage. On Tuesday, she stated, "It makes me very sad to say this, but my daughter suffers from severe mental health challenges, and it's devastating that she's putting Adam and our entire family through this. Adam is a good man, and I support him completely."
However, Miranda's lawyer has pointed out that Kate Savage may have violated HIPAA by mentioning her daughter's possible conditions: "The source of any mental health issues is clear and we appreciate the defendant's mother for confirming the significant damages in this case. Although her mother apparently does not, we proudly support Ms. Pacchiana and all child sex abuse survivors who come forward."
Miranda has issued her own lengthy statement in her most recent post on The Second Wound.
"My name is Miranda Savage Pacchiana and I am a survivor of child sexual abuse. My older brother, Adam Savage sexually assaulted me repeatedly over the course of several years, starting when I was seven years old.
"As a child, this experience shook my sense of safety and crushed my self-confidence. For decades afterward, I dealt with periods of depression and near-constant anxiety. These symptoms interfered with all aspects of my life, stunting my career aspirations, and robbing me of countless simple pleasures. In my mid-twenties, I sought treatment for the abuse and so began a long, arduous process of working to address the emotional impact of my trauma."
"I last made contact with my brother, Adam Savage, over two decades ago. At the time, I called him out for his callous attitude about the abuse and his apparent disregard for the damage he had caused, but he chose not to acknowledge or show any compassion for my pain. Not once in the ensuing years have I seen evidence that my brother cares to truly understand what he did to me. He gives me no reason to believe that he has meaningfully examined whatever compelled him to commit sexual crimes as a minor.
"But now, because of the NY Child Victims Act, I finally have the opportunity to pursue justice for the crimes my brother committed against me. While nothing can give back what Adam Savage took from me, I hope this lawsuit will also demonstrate to my fellow survivors that we do not deserve to carry the shame of sexual abuse and assault."
"I will never wake up one morning and stop being a survivor of child rape. I will always feel the impact of my brother's abuse, including trust issues and nightmares that I live with to this day. What I hope to change, standing alongside so many other brave survivors, is to initiate an honest look at the epidemic of sexual abuse.
"At least one in 6 boys and one in 4 girls will be sexually abused before age 18. We must do a better job of protecting children, starting by holding more abusers accountable. This happened to me. Statistically, it happened to someone you know. Maybe even someone in your family. It's time to tell."
"That is why I'm here today. The public needs to know that Adam Savage sexually abused me when I was a child, as set forth in the lawsuit that I have finally been able to bring after all of these years. As a survivor and advocate for victims, I am determined to shine a light on the truth. Thank you."
