In re Laura W.
Opinion of the Court
—Final dispositional order, Family Court, New York County (George Jurow, F.C.J.), entered February 24, 1988, which, inter alia, prohibited appellant from all visitation and direct contact with his daughter for a period of 18 months, after a fact-finding determination, dated September 18, 1987, that the appellant had sexually abused his daughter, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
In a child protective proceeding, unsworn out-of-court statements of the victim, although hearsay, are admissible, and if properly corroborated by other evidence tending to support their reliability, may support a finding of abuse or neglect (Matter of Nicole V., 71 NY2d 122). Contrary to the father’s contentions herein, substantial uncontradicted medical evidence established an enlarged vaginal opening wide enough to allow entrance of an adult finger and the absence of a hymen covering (see, e.g., Matter of Kimberly K, 123 AD2d 865). Further corroboration was provided by the validation testimony of two social workers that the child’s behavioral symptoms, exhibited during therapy sessions, including age-inappropriate knowledge of sexual behavior manifested verbally, in play activities and in drawings, evidenced posttraumatic stress syndrome as a result of sexual abuse (see, Matter of Nicole V., 123 AD2d 97, 108, affd 71 NY2d 112, 121-122, supra).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.