Verdict Justia After many months, and many media stories about child sex abuse at the Yeshiva University High School (“YUHS”) in The Jewish Daily Forward,
Yeshiva University released the “independent investigation” of child
abuse that was led by Karen Patton Seymour, Co-Managing Partner of the
litigation department of the prestigious law firm Sullivan &
Cromwell. The report was issued on August 26, in the doldrums of the
summer, the week before Labor Day.
Before launching into my
analysis of this disappointing report, I should clarify my own role in
the report, given that this is one of my key areas of expertise and
given that I am a law professor at Yeshiva’s law school. Here is the
summary of my involvement: I met once with YU Administrators, at my
request, to urge them to do the right thing. And I spoke with Ms.
Seymour twice to urge her team to do the right thing. My advice was not
sought otherwise, and I saw the report first in the press. In my view,
they did not do the right thing.
The YU Report Is Not a “Report”
The
YU Report is, in fact, a policy statement. First, it spends seven
pages describing what the Sullivan & Cromwell attorneys did. Fair
enough.
Second, it provides a four-paragraph (that is not a
misprint) summary of “Findings.” Readers are told that “multiple
incidents of varying types of sexual and physical abuse took place at
YUHSB [and at other schools comprising the University] during the
relevant time period. . . including, in some instances, after members of
the administration had been made aware of such conduct.” This is
little more than a continuation of the cover-up that apparently already
occurred.
Third and finally, the rest of the document describes YU
policies and how they should be improved. Appended to the document is
another report and analysis of its policies produced by T&M
Protection Resources.
YU reportedly spent millions paying Sullivan
and T&M to produce a “Report” that anyone with knowledge of
child-protection policies could have written after receiving YU’s
policies and reading the Forward stories. I do not intend to
denigrate Sullivan’s work or the work of T&M. Future policies and
analysis of past policies are valuable fodder for such endeavors, but I
would not have permitted my name to be on such a deficient and
embarrassing document. A document that was truly a “Report” would have
included an actual report of the facts that prompted the need to review
those policies. [...]
Finally,
and most troubling to me, is that this document is an affront to
survivors everywhere. I have never read a document of this genre with
less verbiage speaking directly to the survivors. It is, in a word,
cold. YU needs to figure out how to become more child-centered in its
approach to abuse, or it will be fighting these battles for decades to
come.
After many months, and many media stories about child sex abuse at the Yeshiva University High School (“YUHS”) in The Jewish Daily Forward,
Yeshiva University released the “independent investigation” of child
abuse that was led by Karen Patton Seymour, Co-Managing Partner of the
litigation department of the prestigious law firm Sullivan &
Cromwell. The report was issued on August 26, in the doldrums of the
summer, the week before Labor Day. - See more at:
http://verdict.justia.com/2013/09/05/sullivan-cromwell-and-yeshiva-university-issue-a-disappointing-report-on-child-sex-abuse-that-is-short-on-facts-and-long-on-public-relations#sthash.aMv0STHi.dpuf
After many months, and many media stories about child sex abuse at the Yeshiva University High School (“YUHS”) in The Jewish Daily Forward,
Yeshiva University released the “independent investigation” of child
abuse that was led by Karen Patton Seymour, Co-Managing Partner of the
litigation department of the prestigious law firm Sullivan &
Cromwell. The report was issued on August 26, in the doldrums of the
summer, the week before Labor Day. - See more at:
http://verdict.justia.com/2013/09/05/sullivan-cromwell-and-yeshiva-university-issue-a-disappointing-report-on-child-sex-abuse-that-is-short-on-facts-and-long-on-public-relations#sthash.aMv0STHi.dpuf
After many months, and many media stories about child sex abuse at the Yeshiva University High School (“YUHS”) in The Jewish Daily Forward,
Yeshiva University released the “independent investigation” of child
abuse that was led by Karen Patton Seymour, Co-Managing Partner of the
litigation department of the prestigious law firm Sullivan &
Cromwell. The report was issued on August 26, in the doldrums of the
summer, the week before Labor Day. - See more at:
http://verdict.justia.com/2013/09/05/sullivan-cromwell-and-yeshiva-university-issue-a-disappointing-report-on-child-sex-abuse-that-is-short-on-facts-and-long-on-public-relations#sthash.aMv0STHi.dpuf
After many months, and many media stories about child sex abuse at the Yeshiva University High School (“YUHS”) in The Jewish Daily Forward,
Yeshiva University released the “independent investigation” of child
abuse that was led by Karen Patton Seymour, Co-Managing Partner of the
litigation department of the prestigious law firm Sullivan &
Cromwell. The report was issued on August 26, in the doldrums of the
summer, the week before Labor Day. - See more at:
http://verdict.justia.com/2013/09/05/sullivan-cromwell-and-yeshiva-university-issue-a-disappointing-report-on-child-sex-abuse-that-is-short-on-facts-and-long-on-public-relations#sthash.aMv0STHi.dpuf
After many months, and many media stories about child sex abuse at the Yeshiva University High School (“YUHS”) in The Jewish Daily Forward,
Yeshiva University released the “independent investigation” of child
abuse that was led by Karen Patton Seymour, Co-Managing Partner of the
litigation department of the prestigious law firm Sullivan &
Cromwell. The report was issued on August 26, in the doldrums of the
summer, the week before Labor Day. - See more at:
http://verdict.justia.com/2013/09/05/sullivan-cromwell-and-yeshiva-university-issue-a-disappointing-report-on-child-sex-abuse-that-is-short-on-facts-and-long-on-public-relations#sthash.aMv0STHi.dpuf
After many months, and many media stories about child sex abuse at the Yeshiva University High School (“YUHS”) in The Jewish Daily Forward,
Yeshiva University released the “independent investigation” of child
abuse that was led by Karen Patton Seymour, Co-Managing Partner of the
litigation department of the prestigious law firm Sullivan &
Cromwell. The report was issued on August 26, in the doldrums of the
summer, the week before Labor Day. - See more at:
http://verdict.justia.com/2013/09/05/sullivan-cromwell-and-yeshiva-university-issue-a-disappointing-report-on-child-sex-abuse-that-is-short-on-facts-and-long-on-public-relations#sthash.aMv0STHi.dpuf
YU needs to get its sexual molestation and abuse under control. For too long it has tolerated too much.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you less concerned for ultra orthodox children being raped than YU children? We need to assume so based on the comments you made today in the article here on Daas Torah: Woman who testified against Weberman driven out of shul Rosh HaShanna
DeleteC September 10, 2013 at 1:59 AM
She got what she deserved.
And it is a religious house of worship. They have the constitutional right to boot off their private property anyone they deem appropriate to do so. I am glad they exercised that property right and constitutional right to free religion.
C September 10, 2013 at 5:25 PM
Let her realize she is persona non grate in her parents neighborhood.
Why are you less concerned for modern orthodox children being raped?
DeleteSo you are confirming that this is all a game to you?
DeleteIs money motivating you to post pro-molestation comments, access to pedophilia pleasures, or for pleasure in combination to your anger and avenging your abuse as a child?
It is you playing a silly game.
DeleteYU committed a terrible sin. They must be called to task for allowing and condoning the rape of modern orthodox boys by modern orthodox rabbis.
The molestation must stop! We must bring justice to the victims of YU.
Can you explain why you posted these comments against Webermans victim? Why does she deserve a different justice than the YU victims?
DeleteIs it because you/ your cronies only have access to ultra orthodox children and are trying to keep them hefker and for consideration trading-in the modern orthodox molesters to the police. Or is your taste little girls, and YU is only boys?
C September 10, 2013 at 1:59 AM
She got what she deserved.
And it is a religious house of worship. They have the constitutional right to boot off their private property anyone they deem appropriate to do so. I am glad they exercised that property right and constitutional right to free religion.
C September 10, 2013 at 5:25 PM
Let her realize she is persona non grate in her parents neighborhood.
The question isn't addressed to me, but one thought that comes to mind is that while YU admits to their guilt, Weberman maintains his innocence.
DeleteDavid, that's a rationale that comes to mind, to treat a victim as the molester? And the molester as the victim? Why is your mind going in that direction? Is it your little head hijacking you? Why don't you go see a doctor and stop bothering children?
DeleteThe issue is they maintain Weberman's innocence. The case was ENTIRELY circumstantial.
DeleteWhich molester like Weberman provides law enforcement with "non-circumstantial" evidence like video tapes showing him raping little girls while he enjoys coloring them by drips wax on their stomach while they lay naked, like this Wikipedia article explains?
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wax_play
Which orthodox Jewish pedophile case has better evidence then Weberman's who has multiple young woman coming forward with the same rape wax nightmares when they were little girls, but are too afraid to press charges because of people like you?
So in other words you are admitting to the implied assumptions in the following questions?
David, that's a rationale that comes to mind, to treat a victim as the molester? And the molester as the victim? Why is your mind going in that direction? Is it your little head hijacking you? Why don't you go see a doctor and stop bothering children?
PH: None of what you post has any basis in fact. Indeed, none of that was even alleged.
Deleteshev, vic, chaim or whatever:
DeleteSo what was alleged, he bought her underwear, and violated jewish law by being alone with her in a room, and he got for that 100 years in prison?