Stuart Copperman was, to all appearances,
an old-fashioned pediatrician. For 35 years,
he ran a bustling practice in Merrick, N.Y.,
where he was revered by parents as an au-
thority on everything from colic to chicken-
pox. Well dressed, affable and tan year-
round, he was always available in an emer-
gency, and even made house calls.
When he told mothers that their daugh-
ters were old enough to see him alone —
without a parent in the room, so the girls
could speak freely — they accepted it as
sound medical practice. Girls who told their
mothers that the pediatrician had rubbed
their genitals or inserted his fingers into
their vaginas were often met with disbelief.
“He was such a charming, affectionate,
involved man — we all thought he was a
god,” said Dina Ribaudo, 43, who lives in Ar-izona. “You just couldn’t imagine this
bright, shining light ever hurting anyone.”
Mr. Copperman started molesting her when
she was 8, she said.
The state Office of Professional Medical
Conduct received a steady stream of sexual
abuse complaints about Mr. Copperman for
nearly two decades but did not strip him of
his medical license until December 2000. By
then, he was 65 years old and ready to re-
tire. No criminal charges were ever filed.
Mr. Copperman, 84, declined to comment
for this article but in the past has denied anyAbove, the pediatrician Stuart Copperman in the 1990s. Bottom left, Jeanna Limmer-Salgado
filed a complaint about Mr. Copperman in 1985, but a state panel dismissed her charges. Top left,
Terri Ackerman, who was told she needed a vaginal “cleaning.” Top right, Dina Ribaudo says Mr.
Copperman started molesting her when she was 8 years old.By RONI CARYN RABINStuart Copperman lost his medical license
almost 20 years ago. Armed with a new
law, ex-patients hope to file civil lawsuits.
BRITTAINY NEWMAN/THE NEW YORK TIMESCALLA KESSLER/THE NEW YORK TIMESJustice
Deferred
ADRIANA ZEHBRAUSKAS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMESTUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2019D1
NSCIENCE MEDICINE TECHNOLOGY HEALTH
6 AEROSPACEA former astronaut
retires and leaves a
moon-size hole for
NASA to fill.
5 MATTERFor monarch
butterflies, genetic
mutations turn
poison into dinner.
HELENA, MONT. — The death of a ranger,
Brad Treat, in 2016 was a wake-up call for
grizzly bear biologists.
Mr. Treat, an avid mountain biker, was
zipping along at about 25 miles an hour
through dense forest near Glacier National
Park on a summer afternoon when he col-
lided with a large male grizzly bear.
Apparently startled, the bear reacted de-
fensively and quickly killed him. A witness
couldn’t see what happened but could hear
it. “I heard a thud and an ‘argh,’ ” the un-
named witness told investigators. Then the
bear made a noise “like it was hurt.” The
bear disappeared before emergency re-
sponders arrived.
Dr. Christopher Servheen, who led the
committee that investigated Mr. Treat’s
death, said the accident prompted him to
speak out publicly against recreational
sports in the areas where grizzlies live.
This summer, he tried to stop two ultra-
marathons in Flathead National Forest, but
the Forest Service approved the contests
anyway. One was held last weekend, at a
time when bears are particularly active in
foraging for food before their hibernating
season begins later this year.
“We tell people not to run in grizzly bear
habitat, to make noise and to be aware of
their surroundings,” said Dr. Servheen, who
has retired from his post as coordinator for
the grizzly bear recovery program of the
Fish and Wildlife Service. “Agencies are
permitting the very activities we are tellingpeople not to do.”
Vast tracts of public land in the West have
become favorite haunts of a growing num-
ber of mountain bikers, exploring wild ar-
eas for recreation. The Trump administra-
tion recently allowed e-bikes, or electric
bikes, to be used on all federal trails where
bicycles are allowed.
The increasing popularity of trail biking
has brought to the fore some of the inherent
conflicts in the uses of public land — naturalBears and Bikers Meet in Uncharted Territory
An increase in interactions
could lead to unsafe conditions
for humans and wildlife.
By JIM ROBBINSPeople on mountain bikes and electric bikes are pushing further into the wild.LIDO VIZZUTTI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMESThere is a growing body
of evidence that outdoor
recreation of all kinds
has serious consequences
for wildlife.CONTINUED ON PAGE D64 TIES
Facebook’s lack of
privacy turns out to
be a megaphone for
mental health.
‘Stuart Copperman got
away with everything,’ a
victim says. ‘He’s living
the life, and has been for
20 years.’CONTINUED ON PAGE D3