Two More People Say Dr. Reardon Abused Them, by Leanne Gendreau, NBC Connecticut, December 10, 2010

Two More People Say Dr. Reardon Abused Them

By Leanne Gendreau
NBC Connecticut
December 10, 2010

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/politics/Two-More-People-Say-Dr-Reardon-Abused-Them-111670164.html

Two more people have come forward, accusing the late Dr. George Reardon of sexual assault during a study concerning the sexual development of minors at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.

One plaintiff, referred to in court papers as “John Doe,” 47, said Reardon assaulted him in the 1970s, and “Jane Doe,” 43, said Reardon assaulted her in the 1970s and/or 1980s.

The suit accuses St. Francis Hospital of carelessness and negligence for failing to protect the minors from sexual assault, battery and exploitation and are seeking damages in excess of $15,000.

Hospital officials have said they did not know about specific allegations against Reardon until 1993, when the state sought to revoke his license.

Reardon died in 1998. In 2007, about 50,000 slides of child pornography and more than 100 videos depicting child pornography spewed forth from inside a wall in the doctor’s former West Hartford home. To date, more than 130 people have claimed to be victims.

The recent suit claims that Reardon took nude photographs of both people and forced him to remain naked for long periods of time for the doctor’s sexual gratification.

John Doe claims the doctor sexually assaulted him, caused the boy to “undergo an unnecessary and invasive” breast reconstruction and threatened him to stay quiet or his father, a local official, would be humiliated.

Jane Doe said Reardon sexually assaulted her in the 1970 or 1980s and the abuse was a factor in causing her to undergo a gender transformation.

"Unfortunately we continue to see the horrible fallout of Reardon's sexual deviance and the hurt it has caused to so many people," said Joel T. Faxon, who represents close to 60 people who said they were victims of Reardon.

St. Francis Hospital has offered to settle with some victims, aged 48 and over who are outside the state’s statute of limitations, the Hartford Courant reports.

However, not all of the victims who would be eligible for the settlement are happy about the offer, which is between $20,000 and $100,000, the Courant reports.

“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,” s statement from St. Francis Hospital reads. “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.”