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	Two More Suits Alleging Reardon Sex Assaults Filed By Christine Dempsey CTNow December 10, 2010 http://www.ctnow.com/news/connecticut/new-haven/hc-reardon-lawsuits-1211-20101210,0,1169150.story Two more lawsuits filed Friday in Superior Court accuse St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center of allowing the late Dr. George Reardon to sexually assault children under the guise of doing a growth study. One of the lawsuits alleges that the abuse to the plaintiff, who was a boy at the time of the alleged assault, was a factor in her subsequent sex change. "They were very young and in the formative stages of their lives when Reardon attacked them, and it has damaged them beyond description," said Joel T. Faxon, lawyer for the two. His firm has filed 60 of 160 lawsuits. The latest suits, filed on behalf of "John Doe" and "Jane Doe," were still being served by marshals early in the afternoon, said court clerk William Eagen. In an e-mailed statement from hospital spokeswoman Tina Varona, St. Francis stated: "We will continue to do all that we can to seek a fair resolution of this tragedy and to treat all alleged victims with compassion, support and dignity." In 2007, the owner of Reardon's former West Hartford home found more than 50,000 slides and 100 movie reels of child pornography hidden in a wall. Reardon, the hospital's chief of endocrinology, gained access to many children by claiming he was conducting a growth study. St. Francis officials have said hospital administrators did not know of the specific allegations against Reardon until 1993, when state health officials tried to revoke his license. The woman in the latest suit, who is in her early 40s, was assaulted in the 1970s and '80s, the suit states. The man, in his mid-40s, said he was molested in the '70s. Both were photographed naked and touched on their genitals, the suits state. Each also was forced to remain naked "for a prolonged period of time so Reardon could obtain sexual gratification." In the man's case, his suit states, "Reardon also caused the plaintiff to undergo an unnecessary and invasive breast reconstruction procedure." The woman's lawsuit states, "The abuse by Reardon was a subsequent factor in causing the minor plaintiff to undergo a gender transformation surgery." The hospital was careless and negligent, the suits state. St. Francis "knew or should have known that Reardon had abused minor patients, but failed to take adequate preventative measures" to keep the plaintiffs safe. As far as the details of the case, St. Francis said, "We will address the facts of these cases in the courtroom. We will also continue to ask plaintiffs' attorneys to respect the need to protect the privacy of their clients and not attempt to try their cases in the media through inflammatory statements." The lawsuits ask for monetary and punitive damages exceeding $15,000. Some of the people alleging abuse — about 70 — are over 48 and beyond the statute of limitations. Many of them have accepted settlements, Faxon said Friday. Sources have told The Courant that those settlement offers ranged from $20,000 to $100,000. Contact: cdempsey@courant.com
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