Your privacy, safety, and emotional well-being should come first. Consider speaking with a trusted therapist, counselor, medical provider, or victim advocate who understands childhood sexual trauma. Preserve anything that may help document your experience, including:

• Medical and billing records
• Appointment dates or approximate treatment years
• Research consent forms or study documents
• Letters or other communications from Rockefeller
• Photographs or references to photographs taken during treatment
• Prescription and hormone-treatment records
• Names of family members, doctors, researchers, or staff who may have relevant information
• Notes describing what occurred and how it affected you

Because the treatment may have occurred decades ago, you may not have complete records or remember every detail. That does not invalidate your experience. An attorney can investigate whether Rockefeller or another source still possesses relevant medical, research, or institutional records.

Reginald Archibald was a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher who treated children with growth and developmental concerns at Rockefeller University Hospital for decades.

Rockefeller later commissioned an investigation that concluded Archibald engaged in a widespread pattern of misconduct and sexually abused many children while providing medical care and treatment. The investigation also found that the hospital received questions, complaints, and other information concerning his conduct and that warning signs could have been recognized or pursued earlier.

Although Archibald is deceased, lawsuits have alleged that Rockefeller University Hospital may be responsible for failing to investigate warning signs, supervise Archibald adequately, protect vulnerable patients, or notify former patients sooner. 

Former patients may have legal options depending on when and where the abuse occurred, their age at the time, whether they previously participated in a settlement, and which individuals or institutions may be legally responsible.

Archibald died in 2007 and was not criminally convicted in connection with the reported abuse. However, a criminal conviction is not required for every civil sexual abuse claim. A survivor may be able to pursue accountability from a hospital, university, research institution, employer, estate, or another party depending on the available evidence and applicable deadlines.

Potential claims may examine whether Rockefeller or another responsible party:

• Knew or should have known about inappropriate conduct
• Received complaints or warning signs but failed to respond appropriately
• Allowed Archibald to examine children without adequate supervision
• Failed to protect vulnerable pediatric patients and research participants
• Failed to maintain appropriate safeguards or consent procedures
• Delayed notifying former patients about credible abuse findings
• Improperly retained, handled, or failed to account for intimate photographs

Institutional liability is not automatic. An attorney can investigate what each party knew, when it knew it, and whether reasonable steps were taken to protect children.

Many former patients reportedly saw Archibald during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Survivors may have needed decades to understand that what happened was not legitimate medical treatment or to feel safe discussing it.

New York’s Child Victims Act expanded the time available for some survivors to file civil claims and created a temporary revival period for older claims. That special revival period has ended, however, and filing deadlines remain complicated and highly dependent on the individual circumstances. Factors that may affect a survivor’s options include:

• The survivor’s age
• When and where the abuse occurred
• Whether treatment occurred in New York or elsewhere
• When the survivor discovered certain injuries or institutional conduct
• Whether the survivor previously filed a claim
• Whether the survivor accepted compensation or signed a release
• Which individuals or institutions may be responsible

Do not assume that you have no options solely because the abuse occurred decades ago. An attorney can review the specific circumstances and determine whether a lawsuit or another potential avenue for recovery may remain available.

No financial recovery can erase childhood sexual abuse, but a civil claim may provide resources for healing while helping survivors pursue accountability. Depending on the circumstances, compensation may be available for:

• Counseling, therapy, and psychiatric care
• Medical treatment related to the abuse
• Future mental health and medical expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and psychological trauma
• Lost income or diminished earning capacity
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Relationship and intimacy difficulties
• Damage to self-esteem and personal identity
• Other long-term effects of the abuse

Additional damages may be available in certain cases when the evidence demonstrates especially reckless, malicious, or intentional misconduct.