NWH Nurse Details Kennedy’s Behavior at Opening of Trial
A Northern Westchester Hospital nurse who claimed she was attacked by Douglas Kennedy in January gave emotional testimony on the first day of Kennedy’s child endangerment and harassment trial in Mount Kisco Justice Court on Monday.
Kennedy, a son of the late Robert Kennedy, is accused of twisting the arm of clinical nurse Anna Lane and kicking another nurse, Cari Luciano, in the pelvic area when they tried to stop him from taking his newborn son out of the hospital shortly after 7 p.m. on Jan. 7 without proper authorization. Previously, he and his attorneys have contended that he wanted to bring his son outside for fresh air on an unseasonably mild evening.
Mount Kisco Village Justice John Donohue is presiding over the non-jury trial. The defense had the option whether to go with a jury or bench trial.
Under questioning from Assistant District Attorney Michael Borrelli, Lane tearfully recalled the events of that evening when she and Luciano tried to prevent Kennedy from entering an elevator to leave the maternity ward with his son. After the two nurses immobilized the elevator, Kennedy headed to the stairs.
“He grabbed me. He grabbed my left arm when it was on the doorknob and he twisted my left arm,” Lane said.
Lane, the third witness of the day to be called by the prosecution, was forced to stop talking to dab her eyes with tissues.
The nurse also recalled that Kennedy kicked Luciano when she tried to prevent him from walking down the stairs with his son.
“She was kicked to the floor by Mr. Kennedy, ” Lane said.
Kennedy stumbled backwards on a landing near the stairwell door after kicking Luciano, she said. He again tried to go down the stairs with his son in his arms but was subsequently stopped by two hospital security guards.
During cross-examination, one of Kennedy’s attorneys, Robert Gottlieb, peppered Lane with questions, suggesting that she may have been looking to profit from the incident when she hired an attorney to commence civil action against his client. Lane confirmed she went on The Today Show in February to tell her side of the story.
Gottlieb said Lane’s civil attorney, Elliot Taub, sent a letter to the Westchester County District Attorney’s office to pressure Mount Kisco police “to bring criminal charges against Mr. Kennedy.” Lane also confirmed that Taub sent a letter on her behalf.
She also said that Taub sent a letter to hospital President and CEO Joel Seligman to put pressure on local police to arrest Kennedy. Lane said that she wanted the hospital to “work on my behalf.”
Lane said that she has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the incident.
Also called earlier in the day were the director of hospital security, Eric Hartmann, and another nurse on duty that evening, Angela Adamo. Their testimony followed opening statements by both sides.
For most of the trial’s opening day, Kennedy sat impassively at the defense table wearing a gray suit, blue shirt and a tie with blue and white dots.
Court was scheduled to resume on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. where Gottlieb will continue his cross-examination of Lane.
