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MEDIA RELEASE – JUNE 7, 2016
Road to Recovery
June 7, 2016
road-to-recovery.org
New York State legislature has eight (8) days to do the right thing by eliminating the statute of limitations on sexual abuse of children and allowing victim/survivors to hold their abusers accountable
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian of Boston, who was portrayed by Stanley Tucci in the Academy Award-winning movie, “Spotlight,” and whose work with clergy sexual abuse victims is well documented, will stand with two of his clergy childhood sexual abuse clients, Cecilia Springer and Neal Gumpel, to demand reasonable and just settlements of their claims and changes in the New York State statute of limitations concerning childhood sexual abuse
Cecilia Springer is an 85 year-old ex-nun who was abused by her high school Principal, Sr. Mary Andrew, SU, a Sister of St. Ursula, in the 1940s. The Sisters of St. Ursula refuse to help Cecilia in her senior years despite the fact that Cecilia Springer’s father donated a Manhattan building to the Sisters of St. Ursula
Neal Gumpel, 57, originally from Port Chester, NY, was sexually abused by a Fordham Preparatory School (Bronx, NY) Jesuit priest, Fr. Roy Alan Drake, SJ, a serial pedophile, who received permission from his Jesuit superiors to teach at Maine Maritime Academy in the 1970s. The Jesuits have found Neal Gumpel’s story credible but refuse to help him heal by reasonably settling his claim.
What
A press conference alerting the media to the cases of two childhood sexual abuse victims, represented by Boston Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, portrayed by Stanley Tucci in the movie, “Spotlight,” who have been re-victimized by two religious orders, the Sisters of St. Ursula, based in Dutchess County, New York, and the Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), based in Manhattan, because of their refusal to help the victims heal. The press conference will also demand that the New York State legislature enact laws allowing childhood sexual abuse victims to gain access to the courts in a fair and just manner.
When
Wednesday, June 8, 2016 at 1:00 pm
Where
On the public sidewalk outside Notre Dame School, 327 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10014
Who
Boston Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, portrayed by Stanley Tucci in the Academy Award’s 2016 Best Picture, “Spotlight,”; Cecilia Springer, a childhood sexual abuse victim and ex-nun; Neal Gumpel, a childhood sexual abuse victim and Hollywood screenwriter; Dr. Robert M. Hoatson of Road to Recovery, Inc., advocate and sexual abuse victim as a young adult in five counties of New York State; Helen Gumpel, wife of Neal Gumpel; friends, and supporters
Why
New York State has one of the most restrictive statutes of limitations on the sexual abuse of children in the country, and the New York legislature is currently discussing ways to change that. Attorney Mitchell Garabedian of Boston will stand with two of his clients, Cecilia Springer and Neal Gumpel, and discuss the injustice of the Sisters of St. Ursula in not reasonably settling credible claims of childhood sexual abuse by a nun, Sr. Mary Andrew, S.U., who was Cecilia Springer’s Principal at Notre Dame School in the 1940s. Sister Mary Andrew, S.U., followed high school student Cecilia Springer up the school stairway from the lunchroom, grabbed her from behind, and hugged and kissed her. Cecilia Springer suffers from the effects of that sexual abuse.
Attorney Garabedian will also stand with Neal E. Gumpel, who was invited by his brother to spend the weekend at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine in the 1970s. Neal Gumpel was told when he arrived that he would be staying in the apartment of Fr. Roy Alan Drake, SJ, who was a professor of science at Maine Maritime Academy. Fr. Roy Alan Drake plied Neal Gumpel with alcohol and sexually assaulted him during that weekend. The Jesuits of the Northeast Province, based in Manhattan, have found Neal Gumpel’s story credible but refuse to reasonably settle his case.
The press conference will demand that the Sisters of St. Ursula and the Society of Jesus Northeast Province (Jesuits) do the right thing, reasonably settle the two claims, and help the victims heal.
The press conference will also demand that the New York State legislature eliminate the statute of limitations regarding childhood sexual abuse and allow victims of childhood sexual abuse, whenever it occurred, to have their day in court.
Contacts
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc. – 862-368-280
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250
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