US Doctor Ordered to Pay $1.6 Billion to Over 100 Women in Sex Abuse Case
Former paediatrician Stuart Copperman found liable decades after victims first spoke out
In a landmark ruling decades in the making, a Long Island court has ordered former paediatrician Stuart Copperman to pay $1.6 billion to more than 100 former patients who say he sexually abused them as children during routine examinations at his home-based practice.
Copperman, now 89 years old and living in South Florida, was never criminally charged, though allegations date back to the 1980s. He lost his medical license in 2000, but only after six accusers came forward in disciplinary hearings. It wasn’t until the 2019 passage of New York’s Child Victims Act that lawsuits could proceed.
The final judgments, handed down on March 28, awarded victims between $500,000 and $32 million each. The Reverend Debbi Rhodes, now a 63-year-old Episcopal priest, received $25 million, describing the moment as both validating and bittersweet.
“I’m not sure if he’s facing justice,” Rhodes said. “But to have a court say, ‘I believe you’—that’s heavy medicine.”
Copperman never responded to the lawsuits, leading the court to rule in favor of the plaintiffs by default. Special referees assessing damages expressed belief in the survivors' accounts, condemning Copperman’s conduct as “reprehensible.”
Legal experts say this could be one of the largest cumulative abuse awards against an individual in US history. Lawyers have hired a collections specialist, though plaintiffs acknowledge it’s unlikely they’ll recover much financially.
Many accusers, including “Jane Doe A.W.” who received $27 million, said the litigation helped bring emotional closure. “It feels good to know someone heard us,” she said.
For Rhodes, who endured abuse from the age of 7, the judgment is about more than compensation. “For me, it’s about saying to other women—someone will listen to you. Don’t stay silent. Speak your truth.” Copperman has consistently denied the allegations, calling his exams “thorough.” His attorney declined to comment.