October 6, 1986

When: June 5, 1985

The facts: Marla Hanson's face is cut up by two men with single-edged razor blades. The man behind the attack is her landlord, Steve Roth, who had hired a childhood friend and another thug to do the job after Hanson, a model, rejected him. Hanson, who receives the gift of a lifetime trust fund from the wealthy Milton Petri, stays in the public eye for some time afterward as Bright Lights, Big City author Jay McInerney's girlfriend.

Marla's reaction: "Actually I'm feeling great," she said to television reporters later on the day of her attack. "They said the stitches will be out in a couple of days. And you know, in a few months maybe I can do some modeling. Not a lot of close-ups. " She would later battle depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Support: "In the days that followed, people throughout the city were moved by Marla's pluck and optimism. Hundreds of well-wishers reached out to her, from the Brooklyn weight lifter who offered to be her bodyguard to the multimillionaire Milton Petrie, who sent her a check for $20,000 and promised another $20,000 every year for the rest of her life."

The trials: She's branded a liar and a slut. The defense opens with the following statement: "I will tell you about a woman named Marla Hanson, who was after every man in this city, a woman who preyed on men and their relationships with women..." All three men are convicted and get 5 to 15 years. Roth serves the full 15 years.