__________________ Merrick _________________
CommUNItY UPDAtE Infections as of July 19
8,342
Infections as of July 8 8,299
$1.00 $1.00
HERALD
Sharing his life story
Senator holds town hall
A startup amid Covid times
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Vol. 24 No. 30
JUlY 22 - 28, 2021
‘I want justice’ 77 women file sex-abuse suit against ex-Merrick doctor Stuart Copperman By ANDREw GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com
Photo filed with lawsuit
StUARt CoPPERmAN wAS a practicing physician from 1965 to 2000, when his medical license was revoked because of abuse allegations.
Seventy-seven women last week filed lawsuits against Stuart Copperman, a former Merrick pediatrician who was stripped of his medical license because of sexual assault allegations in 2000. Complaints against Copperman had been filed, but were ignored by officials, until six women testified in 2000 to the Board of Professional Medical Conduct that he had molested them, resulting in his license being revoked. Aside from losing his license, Copperman, who now lives in Boca Raton, Fla., and may still own a home on Long Island, has faced no other legal consequences since. One victim told the Herald that, in her case, the statute of limitations to file a criminal complaint against Copperman had run out, and
until recently, the statute to file a civil suit had as well. Copperman’s New York-based attorney, Joseph Tacopina, did not respond to requests for comment. The 77 women are suing Copperman under New York state’s Child Victims Act (see box, Page 15), which is set to expire in roughly one month. The legislation opened a 2 ½-year window for victims of childhood sex abuse to file suits against their alleged abusers. Because Copperman is being sued civilly, he would not serve prison time if found responsible. Three survivors spoke with the Herald.
the patients’ allegations
For his nearly four decades of practice, Copperman, now 87, came across Continued on page 15
Bellmorite wins national competition in Irish step dancing By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Bellmorite Kassidy McGlynn was recently named the under-16 U.S. national champion in Irish dancing at a four-day competition in Phoenix that ended July 10. McGlynn competed against nearly 500 dancers in her age bracket. McGlynn, 15, who said she has been step dancing since age 5, will start her junior year at John F. Kennedy High School in the fall, where she is a member of the kick line team, president of the culture club and takes part in student government as well. She competes at the highest
level of Irish step dancing, open championships. “At a regional event, you have to qualify for nationals,” she explained. “But once you’re in the open championships, you automatically qualify, which is how I did.” There are five levels of dancing before open championships, and McGlynn said that dancers can move up levels at a local competition, known as a feis. In order to dance in an open championship, dancers must win three competitions at the level just below it. Irish step dancers wear two types of shoes: a hard shoe,
I
t’s not only a dance school, it’s a family.
ChRISSY mCGlYNN
Kassidy McGlynn’s mother which resembles a tap shoe, and a soft shoe, which is similar to a ballet slipper. At the nationals, McGlynn said, “There are two rounds that everyone dances, one with a hard shoe and the other with a soft shoe.” During these preliminary rounds, there are a number of dancers on the stage at once, so
the focus is not entirely on one dancer, she said. “After these first two rounds, you wait and see if you’re recalled,” she added. “If you recall, then you do your set dance. The set dance is when you dance all by yourself — the judges see every little move. It’s the most important round.” Along with additional
remarks from judges, dancers accumulate points during all three rounds, which comprise their final score. McGlynn earned her age group’s national championship with consistent performances in each phase of the competition. She dances under the instruction of Sean Reagan at the InishContinued on page 9