Former pediatrician ordered to pay $1.6B after decades of abuse allegations.
For years, Dr. Stuart Copperman treated children out of the basement of his Long Island home. He was a well-known pediatrician in the community, trusted by parents, and respected by peers. But beneath that trust was something far darker. Starting in the 1980s, complaints began to surface from young patients who said Copperman had abused them during visits. Despite the reports, he was never arrested or charged in any abuse case. It wasn’t until 2000, right as he was about to retire, that his medical license was finally taken away. Even then, no real consequences followed. For a long time, it looked like he would never be held accountable.
That changed recently. A New York court ordered Copperman to pay $1.6 billion to over 100 women who came forward saying he abused them as children. Most of these women had carried the weight of what happened to them for decades. They had tried to tell someone back then, but no one listened or believed them. Some had filed reports with the police or medical boards, but the system failed to act. It wasn’t until the Child Victims Act passed in 2019 that they had a legal path to seek justice. This law gave victims of childhood abuse a window to sue, even if the abuse happened long ago.
Copperman didn’t respond to the lawsuits, so the court ruled in the women’s favor by default. But this wasn’t just a legal victory—it was a personal one. One of the women, Debbi Rhodes, said she felt both relief and frustration. Relief because a court finally acknowledged her story, frustration because Copperman had lived most of his life without punishment.
“I’m not sure if he’s facing justice. He kind of got away with it for all these years,” the 63-year-old Episcopal priest in Las Vegas said. “But to have a court say, definitively, ‘I believe you.’ To hear that—that’s heavy medicine right there.”
Rhodes said the abuse started when she was just seven. It took a toll on her life—eating disorders, addiction, and lasting emotional pain. Still, she found purpose in helping others through her ministry, especially people in prison. She says shame kept her silent for a long time, but silence doesn’t lead to healing. Speaking out does.
The other women shared similar stories. Some were awarded millions in damages, but many say they know they might never see that money. Copperman is now 89 and living in Florida. Whether he can pay or not is beside the point for some of the survivors. What matters more is that they were finally heard. They say it’s about helping others know they’re not alone, that speaking up is possible, and that someone will listen. One woman said revisiting the abuse during legal testimony was painful but gave her a sense of peace. For many, this court decision marks a turning point—not because it fixes the past, but because it shows their stories matter.
The broader shift that helped bring cases like this to the forefront began years earlier with the #MeToo movement. What started as a way to show how common sexual harassment and abuse are became a worldwide wave of people coming forward with their stories. The phrase was first used in 2006 by activist Tarana Burke to support survivors of sexual violence, especially young women of color. In 2017, the movement gained global attention when women in the entertainment industry began speaking out against powerful figures. Since then, #MeToo has helped open doors for people in every walk of life to be heard. It helped break the silence and challenge the idea that victims should stay quiet. For the women in the Copperman case, the movement created a culture where they were more likely to be believed and supported, and it laid the foundation for legal changes like the Child Victims Act.
Their stories, once dismissed or buried under decades of silence, have now been brought into the light—not just by a courtroom ruling, but by a cultural reckoning that refuses to let abuse go unanswered. The $1.6 billion judgment against Dr. Stuart Copperman is not merely a number—it represents validation, visibility, and a collective exhale from women who waited far too long to be acknowledged. The ruling may have come late, but it carries weight. For the women who came forward, this is finally feeling heard.
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After decades of sex abuse complaints, a NY pediatrician is ordered to pay $1.6B to over 100 women
New York doctor ordered to pay $1.6 billion to over 100 women in sex abuse case
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