Deadline Near For Any New Sex Abuse Claims Vs. Merrick Ex-Doctor

MERRICK, NY — The deadline is approaching for anyone claiming to be a victim of former pediatrician Stuart Copperman to join the other 77 women who came forward in suing him.

The New York Child Victim's Act allows survivors to file a civil suit by Aug. 14.

Copperman is accused of being a serial molester of patients for almost 40 years, according to court documents.

Given the sensitive nature of such allegations, any claims can be made anonymously. But Jeanna Limmer-Salgado, who has been public in her accusations for at least 20 years, felt it was important to attach her name to her personal account.

Francine Iacona said she took a different path with internal struggles before deciding to shed the shadow.

"It's taken me years to get to the point and accomplish this composure and even trust that I can finally speak out loud to be believed, to be heard and to tell our story," Iacona told Patch.

Iacona, 60, and Limmer-Salgado, 53, are among the accusers in the suit who, along with the dozens of other accusers, are jointly represented by the law firms of Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky and Gruenberg Kelly Della.

No specific punitive damages are sought by the victims. But despite multiple allegations dating back to 1961 against Copperman, he never faced criminal charges.

The lawyers referred Patch to the Nassau District Attorney's Office for comment.

"After an extensive search, we have been unable to locate a closeout memo or investigative file associated with the Copperman investigation from 1999/2000," spokesperson Brendan Brosh said in 2019 and reiterated the comment to Patch. "Without access to case records or investigative files, I’m unable to comment on the decisions of the Dillon administration. The records, from the administration of former District Attorney Denis Dillon, were not digitized. Mr. Dillon passed away in 2010."

Copperman's medical license was revoked in 2000 by the New York State Board of Professional Medical Ethics after six women testified. The 85-year-old has since moved to Delray Beach, Florida.

Mike Della, one of the lawyers representing the women in the suit, thinks today's culture makes it more acceptable for survivors to bring their allegations to light in these delicate circumstances.

"We're taking these types of complaints a lot more serious," Della told Patch. "He got away with things, much like Larry Nassar [USA gymnastics coach] did."

The suit accuses Copperman of preying upon "scores of young women" by "grooming, sexual exploitation [and] fondling" of his patients over a stretch of time.

Iacona claims she was molested by Copperman starting at age 8 and that it lasted during her regular examinations into her mid-teens.

"Monsters come in all disguises," Iacona said. "This one just happened to come with a white coat and a stethoscope posing as a doctor, somebody who absolutely violated our trust."

Limmer-Salgado said she had been seeing Copperman since she was a preschooler and that once she was 13, her mother was asked to "leave the examination room." There was also no nurse in the room, she said.

"She was under the understanding that he was just going to be talking to me," Limmer-Salgado told Patch.

However, Limmer-Salgado claims she had to endure sexual abuse several times, although it took both women, and others, years to figure out this was abnormal behavior.

"As I got older, I saw that he locked the door behind him when I went in," Iacona recalled. "I remember that there was this one time that the nurse actually knocked on the door."

Limmer-Salgado said her "Aha" moment came when she was 15 and her mother told Copperman that she couldn't have any extra "examination." Once again, her mother was asked to leave and Limmer-Salgado says he doubled down on the molesting, Limmer-Salgado said. Copperman going against her mother's wishes was like a splash of cold water to her, and Limmer-Salgado told her parents. Within days, they lodged a complaint with the police.

Both women hope their candidness about the ordeals they faced as children and teenagers will allow other victims to come forward as well.

"I think a lot of women feel empowered when they see someone else speaking out, and it gives them the strength to speak out, too," Limmer-Salgado said.

Iacona said she would like to see anyone else who claims to be a Copperman sexual abuse victim file before time runs out, because "what we do today will empower, not just girls, but boys, the younger generation, to always speak out and to use their voice so we can effect permanent change [and] that we protect the children, not the abusers."

Kristen Feden, one of the lawyers representing Limmer-Salgado, Iacona and others, told Patch she is encouraged that "anyone who is aware of Copperman's, basically, sexual predatory reign will come forward, whether as a survivor or as a witness."

Limmer-Salgado said she is grateful for her family as a vital support system over the years.

"I was very lucky that my parents listened to me," she said. "I feel very emotional about it when I'm with my child. I'm very protective over her."

If you were a victim of sexual abuse, you can call RAINN, the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).