Revision 94593240 of "Elizabeth Morgan" on enwiki

'''Jean Elizabeth Morgan''', [[M.D.]], [[Ph.D.]] (born [[1947]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], [[USA]]) is a [[plastic surgeon]] who was involved in a widely publicized and long-running [[child custody]] case over her daughter Hilary.  Morgan claimed that the father, Dr. Eric A. Foretich, an oral surgeon, had sexually abused Hilary.  During the course of the case, Morgan was incarcerated for two years. After her release, and when she was legally able to do, Morgan joined Hillary in [[New Zealand]]. [[Congress of the United States|United States Congress]] passed two laws as a result of this case.  After Morgan sent Hilary into hiding, Foretich never regained his rights to unsupervised visitation with or custody of his daughter.

== Early career ==
Morgan, as a surgeon in [[Washington, D.C.]], in [[1980]] published a successful book titled ''The Making of a Woman Surgeon'', which recounted the rigors of her training in this predominantly male profession.

The publication of the book was covered by ''[[Reader's Digest]]'' and ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazines.  Morgan wrote the ''Reader's Digest'' article, "Give the Lady a Knife"; the title was presented as having been said by a male surgeon. The ''People'' article was titled "Elizabeth Morgan says she learned women surgeons don't have to be as good as men—they have to be better."

== The Hilary Morgan case ==
Morgan first met Foretich in Fairfax Hospital in [[Kirkland, Washington]], where both were on the staff.  Foretich's second marriage was breaking up at the time; after dating Foretich for a few months, Morgan became pregnant, and the two flew to [[Haiti]] and were married.

Morgan left Foretich before she came to term; their daughter Hilary Antonia was born [[August 21]], [[1982]], and the two were divorced later that year. In [[1984]], after a legal battle, Morgan was awarded custody of the child; Foretich had visitation rights on vacations and alternating weekends. 

It was after visitations in early [[1985]], when Hilary was 2½ years old, that Morgan said her daughter gave the first verbal indications that she had been abused. Eventually, Morgan also accused both of Foretich's parents of sexually assaulting Hilary.

Morgan privately attempted to photograph the evidence, but the photos only led to suggestions that she had produced child pornography.

The primary psychologists on each side, [[Mary Froning]] and [[Elissa Benedek]] had different fears: Froning claimed to fear for Hilary's safety but Benedek claimed to fear for her own safety when dealing with Morgan.   Froning had over 70 sessions with Hilary over a period of 18 months. Another Morgan expert, psychiatrist Dr. [[David Corwin]], spent over 200 hours evaluating Hilary's case.

After a trial, a jury found in favor of Foretich and his parents.

Around this time, Foretich's daughter from another marriage also said she was sexually abused by her father. Her therapist advised not to let the other daughter see Dr. Foretich. In the movie of the case, the daughter's name was "Hayley."

=== Prison ===
After many other inconclusive motions and appeals, the presiding family court judge, [[Herbert B. Dixon Jr.]], in [[1987]] ordered unsupervised visitation for Foretich. Morgan then sent Hilary into hiding with her parents. Judge Dixon then found Morgan to be in [[contempt of court]] and sent her to prison.

For the next two years, Morgan's incarceration received a great deal of publicity. In much of it she was portrayed as a model prisoner, and a woman of fortitude. She also convinced many famous and influential people, including [[Charles Colson|Chuck Colson]] that abuse had indeed occurred.

=== Congressional action and flight ===
: ''See main article at [[District of Columbia Civil Contempt Imprisonment Limitation Act]]

This Act allowed Morgan to leave prison by altering local D.C. law, only for custody cases.  Morgan's case was mentioned extensively during deliberations.

On [[September 25]], [[1989]], Morgan was released from prison. She married her fiance [[Paul Michel]] in December. In February 1990, Morgan's parents and Hilary were found in [[New Zealand]], where they were located in by a [[private investigator]] hired by Foretich. New Zealand chose to maintain the [[status quo]] and let Hillary live with her mother and grandparents. At around this time, Hilary's name was changed to Elena.

=== The Elizabeth Morgan Act ===
: ''See main article at [[Elizabeth Morgan Act]]

The Act, passed in 1996, allowed Elizabeth Morgan to return to the U.S. with her daughter without having to share custody with Foretich.  Elizabeth and Ellen Morgan returned to the U.S in 1997. In December 2003, a U.S. Court of Appeal decision unanimously struck down the act as unconstitutional, finding that Congress had improperly passed a [[bill of attainder]] with the purpose of depriving Foretich specifically of the protection of the laws. By that time, Ellen was no longer a [[minor (law)|minor]], but despite its [[mootness]], Foretich pursued the matter to clear his reputation.

=== The case in popular culture ===
In [[1992]], a made-for-television movie about this story titled ''A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan Story'' was filmed and aired nationally. Actress [[Bonnie Bedelia]] played the part of Morgan.  [[Patricia Neal]] played Morgan's mother, Antonia.  Many consider it to be [[Prejudice (law)|prejudicial]] in Morgan's favor.

The legal drama [[L.A. Law]] used a similar story as a [[subplot]] of the [[1989]] episode, "One Rat, One Ranger."

== Subsequent events ==
Morgan now practises medicine back in the United States in the Washington, D.C. area, having also gained a degree in [[psychology]].  She operates a medical practice, and offers herself as a "beacon of hope" that protective parents can free their children from harm.

Since her return from New Zealand, Morgan has made many public appearances and speeches, focusing on custody issues, child abuse and mother's rights.  She compared Maryland’s family-court judges to the Spanish Inquisition in their potential to inflict cruelty.  In her own words:

:"''Osama bin Laden had nothing to teach me about evil on September 11.''"

An organization called The Friends of Elizabeth Morgan (which later changed its name to ARCH) was on watchlists of groups that monitor child custody issues.

Elena Morgan is now an aspiring actress. In September of 2005, Dr. Morgan moved her practice to Los Angeles to spend more time with her daughter.

Antonia Morgan died in Washington, D.C. on April 3, 2006 at the age of 91.

Dr. Foretich lives with his fourth wife and their two boys.  

=== The Elsa Newman case ===
In [[2002]], Morgan was involved as a consultant in another controversial child custody case.

Elsa Newman, an attorney, was in a custody fight with her husband, Arlen Slobodow.  Concerned that Newman represented a flight risk, Judge [[S. Michael Pincus]] said, "I don't want another Elizabeth Morgan case in my courtroom."  According to an online Washingtonian article [http://www.washingtonian.com/people/deadlytriangle.html], Newman did in fact consult Morgan, whose emailed advice was:

:"''I don't have the answers. I only know the choices, which are grim: Give in and accept the incest, kill the abuser, or grab the kids and run.''"

On [[January 7]], [[2002]], Newman's close friend, Foreign Service officer Margery Lemb Landry, wearing a ski mask, broke into Slobodow's home while he was sleeping, and with the children present, shot him twice in the leg.  Just before shooting him, Landry had planted [[child pornography]] in Slobodow's home.

Slobodow did survive; Landry pleaded guilty to attempted [[murder]] and was sentenced to a twenty-year prison term. Newman was convicted of [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] in a jury trial, and also received a twenty-year sentence. After their arrests, neither was granted [[bail]]. Morgan, in a letter to the presiding judge, supported Newman's release before her conviction.

=== Mention in a similar case ===
On his [[July 5]], [[2004]] radio show, [[Larry King]] made a reference to Morgan in a discussion with [[Bridget Marks]], who was involved in an ongoing public custody case of her own. King cited Morgan as a famous surgeon and [[Harvard]] graduate who ran from the jurisdiction of a "[[rogue]] judge" (Marks' term), but Marks, who had her lawyer present, demurred, saying, "No, never. I believe that the [[appellate court|legal system]] will correct itself."

Although Marks had been found by the court to have lied in her claims of incest, and was punished with a transfer of custody to her spouse, on [[March 31]], [[2005]] she regained custody.

== References ==
* ''The Making of a Woman Surgeon''  (Putnam Publishing Group, 1980) ISBN 0-399-12361-X.
* "Give the Lady a Knife" (''Reader's Digest'', June 1980)
* ''Solo Practice''  (Berkley Pub. Group, 1982; reprinted 1984) ISBN 0-425-05971-5.
* ''Custody: A True Story'' (Boston: Little, Brown, 1986) ISBN 0-316-58294-8
* ''The Complete Book of Cosmetic Surgery: A Candid Guide for Men, Women, and Teens'' (Warner Books, 1988) ISBN 0-446-51370-9.
* ''Hilary's Trial: The Elizabeth Morgan Case and the Betrayal of Our Children by America's Legal System''. Jonathan Groner (Simon and Schuster, 1992) ISBN 0-671-69176-7.
*[http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume5/j5_2_br9.htm Book review of "Hilary's Trial" with discussion by Prof. LeRoy Schultz]
*[http://www.menweb.org/throop/books/reviews.html MenWeb page with a brief review of "Hilary's Trial"]

== External links ==
*[http://www.custodyprepformoms.org/dycc.htm Photographs & Other Evidence for Child Abuse] arguing that Morgan's abuse photography were a mistake and best left to professionals.
*{{imdb title|id=0104920|title=A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan Story}}, a TV movie. 

===Press coverage===
*[http://www.time.com/time/archive/printout/0,23657,958575,00.html A Hard Case of Contempt: Elizabeth Morgan: Mother Courage or a paranoid liar?] TIME, Inc. 09/18/89
*[http://www.uiowa.edu/~030116/153/articles/barringer.htm Prison Releases a Defiant Mother] The New York Times 09/25/89, Archive by Timothy M. Hagle
*[http://www.uiowa.edu/~030116/153/articles/coyle.htm A Question of Contempt: The cases of two jailed mothers put the issue of civil contempt reform in the spotlight.] National Law Journal 10/30/89
*[http://www.ncfc.net/morgnzld.txt Morgan - Foretich  Fight Ends — for Now; Mother Wins in  New Zealand,  but Is Said to Desire Return to U.S.] Washington Post 12/01/90
*[http://www.rcfp.org/news/1994/1101e.html Grandparents in controversial child custody case not "public figures"] 11/01/94
*[http://www.washingtonian.com/people/deadlytriangle.html Deadly Triangle] Online Washingtonian 06/01/02
*[http://www.fact.on.ca/news/news0208/wp020803.htm Morgan Describes Advising Md. Defendant]
*[http://www.stonescryout.org/archives/2005/03/congressional_a.html Congressional Action On Behalf of Another Daughter: The Elizabeth Morgan Case] Jewell (Colson's former Chief of Staff) [[March 24]] [[2005]] blog archive [http://therooftopblog.blogspot.com/2005_03_01_therooftopblog_archive.html Alternate URL]
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/20/AR2006042002023.html Antonia Morgan; Fled U.S. With Granddaughter 1915 - 2006]

=== Other organizations related to Dr. Morgan ===
*[http://members.aol.com/underwatch/ug_themembers.html The Children Of the Underground Watch(tm): Leaders] which reads: "Alliance for Rights of Children (ARCH) use to be called The Friends of Elizabeth Morgan. They are alleged to help parents go Underground."
** http://web.archive.org/web/20010419230630/www.springfield.va.us/organizations/arch.html

<!-- Categories -->
[[Category:1947 births|Morgan, Elizabeth]]
[[Category:Living people|Morgan, Elizabeth]]
[[Category:American surgeons|Morgan, Elizabeth]]
[[Category:Family law|Morgan, Elizabeth]]
[[Category:People from Washington, D.C.|Morgan, Elizabeth]]