09-04-2025
Long Island pediatrician accused of abuse by more than 100 must pay $1.6B
A former Long Island pediatrician has been ordered to pay $1.6 billion to more than 100 women who accused him of sexual abuse, marking one of the largest ever judgments of its kind.
Stuart Copperman, who was accused of abuse dating all the way back to the 1960s, for decades operated a practice out of the basement of his home in Merrick. While he never faced any criminal charges for the abuse, he had his license to practice medicine suspended in 2000 over the allegations.
Statute of limitations laws, however, prevented Copperman's accusers from filing lawsuits until the passage of the New York Child Victims Act, a 2019 law that extended the time sex abuse survivors have to file civil and criminal cases, creating a temporary window for previously time-barred lawsuits.
The judgement comes after a 19-month review of cases involving allegations against Copperman, during which time Nassau Supreme Court Justice Leonard Steinman issued damages to every plaintiff who filed suit.
Decisions in the last five cases were filed on Friday, Newsday reported.
Stefan Turkheimer, vice president of public policy for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, said the $1.6 billion pot is 'one of the largest civil judgments in a class action sexual assault suit that we have seen in our country.'
Copperman previously denied wrongdoing, claiming that he was only being 'thorough' during his exams. He did not respond to the litigation nor did he mount a defense, prompting a judge to issue a default judgment against him in 2023.
