In June 1986, she rejected the sexual advances of her landlord, Steve Roth. Roth hired two friends, Steven Bowman and Darren Norman, to attack Hanson. Hanson testified that Roth asked her to step outside a bar, and then stood by while the two men, after announcing a "stick-up," slashed her face with a razor blade. The assault left three wounds that required surgery and over 100 stitches to close, resulting in permanent scars. Roth and the two attackers were tried separately, with Judge Jeffrey Atlas presiding over both trials. In Roth's trial, a lawyer for Roth suggested that his breaking off of a long-term gay relationship with Bowman that day led Bowman to attack Hanson out of jealousy. In Roth's trial, he was found guilty of first degree assault for arranging the attack. In the trial of Bowman and Norman a few months later, Hanson was subjected to a controversial cross examination by Bowman's defense attorney Alton H. Maddox, who impugned her character in a line of questioning the prosecutor called "disgusting and filthy". Maddox also asserted that Hanson had "racial hangups" that led her to falsely identify Bowman and Norman, who are black, as her attackers. Hanson and her attorney later publicly criticized the criminal justice system for allowing her to be humiliated on the witness stand. Bowman and Norman were found guilty. At sentencing, Atlas gave Roth the 5 to 15 year maximum sentence, but not before telling a weeping Hanson and her attorney he was "incensed" at their public criticism of the criminal justice system. After a brief recess, Atlas apologized to Hanson and her lawyer. Mayor Ed Koch expressed outrage at Atlas's comments. Bowman and Norman were sentenced to the 5 to 15 year maximum sentence as well. Hanson has since lobbied for reform in the way victims of crimes are treated in criminal courts.
The story of the attack on Hanson was made into a TV movie entitled The Marla Hanson Story in 1991 where she was portrayed by Cheryl Pollak. In the fall 1987 series premiere of Beauty and the Beast on CBS, Catherine Chandler's face is cut up with a box cutter by unknown thugs in a manner very similar to Hanson's injuries. She is treated and nursed to health by the mysterious "beast", Vincent. The date of the attack is shown on a police report as 12 April 1986. Marla was featured on the Netflix show Skin decision- before and after. Received numerous treatments to improve her skin. Went over the night of her attack with Dr. Sheila Nazarian and esthetician “Nurse Jamie” Sherrill.
