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	Abuse Cases to Be Mediated St. Francis Hospital, Plaintiffs Agree to Try to Resolve Lawsuits By Daniel P. Jones Hartford Courant March 25, 2008 http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctreardon0325.artmar25,0,7207989.story WATERBURY - — Lawyers representing more than 75 plaintiffs, who say they were sexually abused by Dr. George Reardon, agreed Monday with lawyers for St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, where he practiced medicine, to try to resolve the cases through mediation. "I think this is a wonderful development," said Susan Smith, an Avon lawyer who represents 34 people suing St. Francis. "I think everybody is working together to streamline the process and to minimize the burden on the plaintiffs, if possible." More than 75 people have sued the hospital in state Superior Court, alleging St. Francis was negligent in not preventing Reardon, a prominent endocrinologist at St. Francis since deceased, from abusing them when they were children. State Superior Court Judge William Cremins, who is presiding over the cases, strongly suggested that the lawyers — eight for the plaintiffs and three for the hospital — should settle the cases by mediation or some other alternative to going to trial. The lawyers agreed during a conference with the judge outside the courtroom to try mediation, which the judge scheduled to begin Oct. 1. Cremins said he wants the mediation completed by the end of the year. "It just means we're all willing to take a shot to try to resolve these cases through mediation," said Paul Edwards, whose New Haven law firm, Stratton Faxon, represents 36 of the plaintiffs. "And if we don't resolve through mediation, we'll continue on with our cases and we'll have our day in court." Reardon, who died in 1998 from heart failure and smoking-related lung disease, practiced medicine at St. Francis from 1963 to 1993, when he resigned in the face of accusations that he molested and inappropriately photographed children for decades, starting in the 1950s. A massive cache of slides and videos showing children in what police described as pornographic poses was discovered in November in Reardon's former West Hartford home. Lawyers for the plaintiffs began filing the lawsuits not long after West Hartford police announced Nov. 28 that 50,000 photographic slides and more than 100 movie reels had been found hidden behind basement wall panels in Reardon's former home. The current homeowner discovered the material during renovations in May. Many of the plaintiffs say Reardon lured them by telling them and their parents that he was conducting growth studies of children and that their participation would advance science and medicine. But instead of benefiting science, according to the plaintiffs and their lawyers, Reardon left a trail of broken lives. Many of the plaintiffs say Reardon fondled and photographed them in degrading poses. At least 15 more victims of the alleged abuse are expected to file lawsuits, according lawyers. Contact Daniel P. Jones at dpjones@courant.com
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