Press Release: AEquitas Set to Launch Third Season of Signal Award-Winning Podcast Series Just Champions on Monday, April 6

New Episodes Will Explore How Pop Culture Portrays Sexual Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, Stalking, and Human Trafficking

WASHINGTON, DC—March 17, 2026—AEquitas, the nonprofit legal resource advancing justice for survivors of sexual and domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking, will launch the third season of its Signal Award-winning podcast series Just Champions on Monday, April 6. 

Each of the seven new episodes will examine whether “Hollywood” accurately conveys the intricacies and challenges of obtaining justice for victims of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and human trafficking. 

AEquitas CEO Jennifer Gentile Long and other legal experts discuss what film, TV, and documentary creators get right, what they get wrong, and what lessons prosecutors can take into the courtroom from their guests’ insights. Projects explored include:

• TV series such as Netflix’s “You” and HBO’s “Big Little Lies” and “I May Destroy You”
• Documentaries including “Pamela, a Love Story,” which focuses on Pamela Anderson’s quest for justice after becoming a victim of image exploitation through the nonconsensual distribution of her intimate images, “Unbelievable,” “I Am Evidence,” and “Very Young Girls.”
• Films like 1988’s “The Accused,” starring Jodie Foster, in Hollywood’s first attempt to show the brutality of sexual violence and the way victims are often put on trial themselves.

The Just Champions April launch coincides with Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Guests discussing this season’s themes include: 

• Ric Hertel, Prosecuting Attorney, Ripley County, Indiana
• Jonathon Junig, Chief, Human Trafficking Unit, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office
• Jon Kurland, Senior Attorney Advisor, AEquitas
• Kristina Mills, Assistant State Attorney, Intimate Partner Violence Specialist, Domestic Violence Unit, Broward County, Florida State Attorney’s Office
• Kerri New, Attorney Advisor, AEquitas
• Patti Powers, Attorney Advisor (Retired), AEquitas
• Daniel T. Van, Assistant Supervisor, Appeals Unit, Cuyahoga County, Ohio Prosecutor's Office
  

“With this new season of Just Champions, we separate fact from fiction by highlighting what these films, television shows, and documentaries depict accurately and how those portrayals can influence real-world responses to survivors seeking justice,” said Long.

“We are incredibly proud of how the AEquitas podcasts have become highly effective vehicles to share our expertise with prosecutors, advocates, and allies nationwide. We are also tremendously grateful for the positive response Just Champions has received from both survivors and the prosecutorial community,” she added.

The third season launch comes soon after Just Champions received the 2025 Silver Signal Award in the Activism, Public Service & Social Impact category.

The premiere also arrives on the heels of the successful inaugural season of AEquitas’ second independently and professionally produced podcast Traffick Report which explored the realities of human trafficking, who it affects, and how to respond to create lasting change for survivors.

Executive producers for Just Champions are Jennifer Long and Robin Hopkins. Sound Editor and Design by Dan Croll.

About AEquitas
AEquitas is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving access to and the quality of justice in sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and human trafficking cases through an informed, practical, and innovative approach.

Named after the Roman goddess of equity and fairness, AEquitas supports prosecutors in their efforts to improve access to and the quality of justice for victims in these cases.

Since 2009, AEquitas and its staff of primarily former prosecutors have worked closely with governmental and nongovernmental agencies to increase successful prosecutions and ultimately prevent future acts of violence. Learn more at www.AEquitasResource.org.

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