$22 Million In Damages Awarded In First of 104 Child Sexual Abuse Cases Filed by Patients-Survivors Against Notorious Former Long Island Serial Pedophile-Pediatrician Stuart M. Copperman

MINEOLA, N.Y., Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- $22 million in damages has just been awarded by a New York State trial judge to the first of 104  patients-survivors of Stuart M. Copperman, the notorious former Long Island serial pedophile-pediatrician who sexually abused scores of young girls – as toddlers into their teens - over decades in his home-based medical office; the Copperman victims in the litigation leading to the landmark award have been jointly represented since 2021 by the law firms of Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky and Gruenberg Kelly Della (GKD).

Kristen Gibbons Feden, who heads the Survivors of Sexual Abuse unit at Saltz Mongeluzzi, and was a former prosecutor on the team that convicted sexual predator Bill Cosby, said following the award to the plaintiff identified to protect her identity as A.R. 1, "This is what perpetrator accountability looks like. Under the unyielding force of New York's 2019 Child Victim's Survival Act, the cries of Copperman's victims, once silenced, now roar through the halls of justice. This landmark legislation paved the way for valiant survivors, like this plaintiff, to pull their haunting pasts from the shadows and lay bare the heinous crimes committed against them for the world to witness. These women, robbed of their innocence as children, have waited long enough. Today, the court not only listens but acts, awarding this first survivor $17 million in compensatory damages and an unequivocal $5 million more in punitive damages, a firm strike against the predator that dared to prey upon these courageous women who preyed on these women when they were innocent children."

Ms. Feden's law partner, Robert J. Mongeluzzi, New York born-and-raised said, "This decision and award leaves absolutely no doubt that Stuart Copperman was a predatory menace to the girls of his Long Island community and evaded justice for too long. After reviewing the facts in this case, and hearing from our highly experienced forensic psychiatric expert on the devastating impact Copperman had on the victim's life, the court concluded, "Copperman's sexual abuse has robbed plaintiff of a normal, healthy and happy life. The court finds that the psychological scars resulting from the abuse are permanent."

Michael Della, of GKD, and co-counsel for the plaintiffs, said, "Copperman was not a kind, compassionate pediatrician – the public image he nurtured; he was a monster doing barbaric things on his examination table to these children, irreparably destroying many lives."

Jessica E. Vertullo, also of Long Island-based GKD, added, "We are so proud and honored to represent the plaintiffs in these cases brought under the CVA, and to share with our clients this significant award. And we join the court in hoping that this $22 million award sends an unmistakable message  of deterrence who think they can commit sexual abuse against children and get away with it."  

NOTE: Members of the Copperman Survivors Legal Team will be available to discuss the court's decision and award. All plaintiff interview requests will be handled through counsel. These include the National Sexual Assault Hotline operated by RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). To speak confidentially to a trained staff member from a local sexual assault service provider call 800-656-HOPE or visit https://hotline.rainn.org/online. Other resources include Long Island Against Domestic Violence

SOURCE Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky P.C.