PRESS RELEASE

PRESS CONFERENCE: AUGUST 22, 2019 11 A.M.

600 THIRD AVE., 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10016

CONTACT:

Kevin Mulhearn Michael G. Dowd Paul Mones

845-222-8092 917-842-9673 503-706-7318
kmulhearn@ktmlaw.net michaelgdowd@gmail.com paul@paulmones.com

38 FORMER STUDENTS SUE YESHIVA UNIVERSITY FOR

THE SEXUAL ABUSE THEY SUFFERED AT

YESHIVA UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL

Lawsuit is the Largest CVA Filing Against One School to Date

New York, New York: August 22, 2019

Today attorneys Kevin Mulhearn, Michael Dowd, and Paul Mones filed a lawsuit
in New York County on behalf of 5 named and 33 unnamed John Doe victims who say
they were sexually abused while they were students at Marsha Stern Talmudical
Academy—also known as Yeshiva University High School for Boys in Manhattan
(“MTA”).

To the best of the attorneys’ knowledge, every other lawsuit filed under the Child
Victims Act (CVA) to date have involved claims by people who were filing a sexual
abuse lawsuit for the first time. This lawsuit is filed on behalf of victims who had
previously filed an action under the old law. These brave men were in no uncertain
terms, pioneers who tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to find a way around New York’s then
harsh and unforgiving statute of limitations. Though their cases were ultimately
dismissed in federal court, their efforts helped inspire the passage of the CVA earlier
this year.
 The plaintiffs say they were sexually abused by two notable rabbis: George
Finkelstein, a long-time MTA principal, and Macy Gordon, a long-time MTA Judaic
Studies teacher. As the lawsuit also alleges, what was perhaps most outrageous was
that Yeshiva University High School and its parent organization, Yeshiva University,
knew for decades that its administrators and employees had received reports of sexual
abuse of students by Finkelstein and Gordon and yet the school ignored every single
complaint. In fact, a 2013 independent investigation commissioned by Yeshiva
University concluded that YU had turned a “deaf ear” to numerous abuse complaints
and had thus done nothing to protect its students from the known sexual predators
identified in the investigation. The lawsuit alleges that between 1955 and 1986 over 20
complaints of sexual abuse by Rabbis Finkelstein and Gordon were made to Yeshiva
employees and administrators, yet nothing was done to protect these victims and many
other boys.

Attorney Kevin Mulhearn said, “Our clients have patiently waited for years to get
through the courthouse door to obtain the justice they so rightly deserve.” Attorney
Mulhearn continued, “For decades, Yeshiva University was aware of the pervasive
problem of sexual abuse by its employees, including high-profile, revered rabbis who
were serial sexual predators; and yet it consciously chose to take no action to protect
our clients and other vulnerable high school students.

Attorney Michael G. Dowd said, “It is an honor to represent these brave men.
Even after their cases were dismissed in federal court, they refused to give up. They
look forward to correcting decades of injustice.”

Attorney Paul Mones stated, "Educational institutions like the Yeshiva University
have a legal and a moral duty to make the safety of their students a priority.” Mones
continued, "Thankfully, the Child Victims Act now gives these victims and many others
across the state access to justice.”

YUHS victims will appear at the press conference.

A copy of the Petition as filed with the Court will be available by email
and copies will also be made available at the press conference.

PLEASE CONTACT US IN ADVANCE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE

YOUR NAME TO SECURITY OR UPON ARRIVAL PLEASE
INFORM SECURITY YOU ARE THERE FOR ATTORNEY
MICHAEL DOWD
About Kevin Mulhearn, Esq.

Kevin Mulhearn, a New York attorney for nearly thirty years, has been representing
victims of sexual abuse in New York State since 2006. Mulhearn successfully
represented twelve plaintiffs in a federal case against Poly Prep Country Day
School based upon the school’s alleged prolonged cover-up of the sexual abuse of
students by its long-time football coach. In Zimmerman v. Poly Prep, the EDNY Court
ruled—for the first time in U.S. jurisprudence—that some plaintiffs had sufficiently pled a
violation of Civil RICO in a sex abuse cover-up context. Kevin has also represented
dozens of other survivors of sexual abuse against various New York private schools.

About Paul Mones, Esq.

For over thirty years, Los Angeles- based attorney Paul Mones has been a leading
nationwide advocate for victims of child abuse, representing hundreds of people who
had been sexually abused as children by their Boy Scout
leaders, priests, ministers, coaches, and teachers, as well as by their parents and
guardians. He has been at the forefront of representing Boy Scout victims of sexual
abuse. In 2010 he obtained the largest verdict ever against the Boy Scouts of
America – $19.9 million - against the Boy Scouts of America. Paul is licensed to
practice law in California, Massachusetts and Oregon. For more information about Mr.
Mones see www.paulmones.com.

About Michael G. Dowd, Esq.

Michael G. Dowd has been representing victims of sexual abuse in the New York
metropolitan area since the late 1990s. At the signing of The Child Victim Act on
February 14th, the only attorney singled out by Governor Cuomo for his advocacy of
victims of sexual abuse was Michael Dowd. In 2007, he and co-counsel, California
attorney Paul Mones obtained an $11.45 Million verdict against the Diocese of Rockville
Centre. This is the largest verdict ever entered against a New York Diocese and one of
the largest Catholic Church verdicts on behalf of two victims in the nation. Michael has
also represented sexual abuse victims against the New York Archdiocese, Brooklyn
Diocese and numerous schools including the New York City Department of Education,
Horace Mann, the Harlem Boys Choir and Riverdale Country School. For more
information about Mr. Dowd see www.mgdowdlaw.com.