A Webster family continues their fight for change in their daughter’s name. Since 2020, 25 Investigates has documented the Dabrowski family’s push to close a legal loophole that leaves some victims of domestic violence unprotected in the workplace.
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A Webster family continues their fight
for change in their daughter's name.
Since 2020, 25 Investigates has
documented their push to close a legal
loophole to protect more survivors of
domestic violence. The parents of Amanda
Drowski tell me they want to know why a
simple fix is just another piece of
lingering legislation on Beacon Hill.
>> So, the Celtics had a tough loss. For
the Drowski family of Webster, life goes
on, but the pain of their missing link
never goes away. In 2019, Amanda Drowski
was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in a
domestic violence attack that unfolded
in a crowded Worcester restaurant. A
jury convicted Carlos Asencio, whom she
met at work of her murder in 2023. But
months earlier, Asencio attacked her a
first time inside her air home. Amanda
fought him off but was hurt and
hospitalized.
>> She had a doctor's note saying she would
have to be out of work for at least a
week. She never got that opportunity to
present it because the next email she
got was
she was gone.
>> As 25 investigates has documented,
Amanda was fired within 2 days of the
attack on her life.
>> She was devastated.
really just could not believe that that
happened to her.
>> Was she blindsided by that?
>> Yes, it was immediate.
>> Massachusetts has employment protections
for victims of domestic violence, up to
15 days of leave, but right now it only
applies to full-time employees. Amanda
was a contract worker at the
pharmaceutical company where she worked.
Her family has been fighting to close
this legal loophole ever since.
>> They're fighting for their life and
livelihood. You can't shut the door on
that. You can't turn away. It was not
right. It was not fair.
>> 25 Investigates has been with the
Drosski family session after session as
they fight to get this bill into law. It
has advanced in the Senate, but
repeatedly dies in the Massachusetts
House. So, as these lawmakers are
sitting with this once again, what's
your message to them this time around?
>> I hope they do what's right.
>> By completing this, have a little bit
more peace for us.
just a smidge. The bill was first
proposed in 2020, the year after
Amanda's murder. This session, it made
it out of the Labor and Workforce
Development Committee. It's now sitting
in Ways and Means with no votes
scheduled. for 25 investigates.
