NY1 VIDEO: In the late 1980s, Hedda Nussbaum became the public face of domestic violence, testifying against her partner following the brutal death of their adopted daughter. On Oct. 27, 1994, Hedda Nussbaum was back in the headlines and on the stand, as she fought for the right to sue Joel Steinberg for a decade of physical abuse. NY1's Jonathan Dienst filed the following report that day.

NY1 FOLLOW-UP: Nussbaum won her right to sue even though the statute of limitations had run out after her attorney successfully argued that the beatings had left her psychologically unable to take legal action earlier. The ruling was hailed as a precedent for other victims of domestic violence.