Raelyn Campbell
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Raelyn Campbell is Senior Program Officer for the Asia-Pacific Region at the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...
, directing the Foundation’s engagement with the region, including innovative financing partnerships to support global immunization campaigns and global health R&D. In her personal life, she has been involved in two high-profile lawsuits - one a criminal case in Japan, after being the victim of sexual assault, and the other a civil case in the United States, involving a computer of hers that had disappeared. In 1998, Campbell was the victim of a sexual attack in Japan. Her pursuit of justice as a result of this attack received significant coverage in English and Japanese-language press in Japan and North America. In 2007, she filed a $54 million civil lawsuit against Best Buy for having lost her computer, which, she said, contained important identity information. This legal action also received extensive media coverage, including an appearance she made on ''
The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...
'', in 2008.Fisher, Marc. "Another $54 Million Lawsuit: No Pants This Time"
The Washington Post, February 14, 2008

Star Tribune, February 13, 2008
"She's suing Best Buy for $54 million"
The Today Show
Campbell's writings have appeared in ''
The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched b ...
''Campbell, Raelyn. "Show North Koreans the carrot as well as the stick"
The Japan Times, December 5, 2001
and the ''Japan Policy Research Institute ''Critique'.
Japan Policy Research Institute Critique, Vol. VI No. 2 (February 1999)


Pursuit of victims' rights law in Japan after victimized in sexual assault

According to news reports, Campbell was attacked in Tokyo in a sexual assault in 1998.
The Japan Times, March 28, 1999
She freed herself from her attacker, who then fled. She pursued him and managed to bring him to her landlord's office. Police were called and she filed a report. The police dragged their feet for months, until later, when in an appearance at the
Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) was started in 1945 to provide infrastructure for foreign journalists working in Post-World War II Japan. Historically, the club has been located in the area around Ginza. Today, the club offers ...
, Campbell held a news conference, during which she called for a victim's rights law in Japan. The story was then reported by news organizations such as
The Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newsp ...
, and appeared in publications such as the
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
and the
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...
. Ultimately, her attacker was convicted of sexual assault.


Lawsuit against Best Buy

In 2007 Campbell filed a $54 million lawsuit against Best Buy after the company told her that the computer she had brought in to be repaired (which she said contained important identity information, such as tax records) was lost. She said she had spent months trying to find out the status of the computer and was given conflicting reports by numerous Best Buy employees.Cheng, Jacqui. "Victim: $54 million Best Buy lawsuit stupid, but necessary"
arstecnica.com, February, 2008
Many writers following her lawsuit dismissed her case as frivolous, but some in blog posts (such as one in
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
) expressed sympathy for Campbell and supported her attempts to draw attention to consumer rights. Campbell indicated that she chose the figure because a Washington, D.C. judge, Roy Pearson, had sued a dry cleaners for the same amount after the business had lost a pair of his pants. She said she never expected to receive the amount she sued for, but wanted to bring attention to the case. According to an April 30, 2008 post on the website pointoflaw.com, Campbell's case was dismissed.


Writings

Campbell's writings include her observations on her experiences in Japan as well as on world affairs, including her efforts in attempting to eradicate polio.Campbell, Raelyn. "From the Tokyo Tower to the End of Polio"
BILL & MELINDA GATES foundation, impatientoptimists.org, October 23, 2011
She has also written a blog on her lawsuit against Best Buy.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Raelyn Living people Lawsuits Human rights in Japan Year of birth missing (living people)