Hilary's Trial: The Elizabeth Morgan Case: A Child's Ordeal in America's Legal System

The most publicized custody case of the decade is examined in objective detail by a journalist who has also been a practicing lawyer. The case pitting Elizabeth Morgan, a plastic surgeon, against Eric Foretich, a dental surgeon, centered on their child, Hilary, alleged by Morgan to have been sexually abused by Foretich. Groner first examines the family backgrounds of the protagonists, and then follows the intricacies of the Washington, D.C., court battle that began when Hilary was less than a year old. Morgan's charges of her daughter's abuse involved a constantly changing cast of ``expert witnesses'' who rendered conflicting assessments. After spending time in jail on contempt charges for refusing to divulge Hilary's whereabouts, Morgan refused to allow the father visitation rights. The seven-year ordeal ended in 1990 with Morgan's flight to join her daughter and her parents, living in New Zealand. Groner's detailed reconstruction of events indicts the legal system's bureaucracy and parents who promote personal interests at the expense of a child's. (May)