Hannah Dreyfus was an Abrams reporting fellow covering abuse. Her 2021 investigation into Liberty University’s mishandling of campus sexual assault won the Society of Professional Journalists’ Ethics in Journalism Award and a National Award for Education Reporting in investigative reporting from the Education Writers Association. She was also a finalist for the 2021 Livingston Awards, which recognize exceptional work by journalists under 35.
In 2019, Dreyfus was recognized as a Writer of the Year by the New York Press Association for her investigation into sexual harassment and assault in Jewish nonprofit organizations. In March of that year, she partnered with ProPublica and The New York Times on an investigation into billionaire and philanthropic titan Michael Steinhardt and decades of alleged harassment toward women beholden to him for funding or jobs.
Dreyfus received a BA in English literature from Yeshiva University, after which she reported for the New York Jewish Week. Her work has appeared in the Times, Mother Jones, Politico, Slate and elsewhere.
Spurred by a ProPublica investigation, the federal Department of Education found the evangelical school in Virginia had discouraged students from reporting rape and other crimes.
The impact of junk science in criminal cases is well known, but family courts have allowed a disputed psychological theory to persist with little scrutiny.
As a contentious custody dispute drags on for years, both sides agree on one thing: The child at the center of it is being abused. Is his mother or father to blame?
A new bill restricts the use of reunification programs and requires domestic violence training for experts in custody cases. Lawmakers credit ProPublica’s reporting for exposing the need for reforms in the family court system.
Family courts are increasingly using programs like Turning Points for Families to treat the disputed psychological theory of parental alienation. But little is publicly known about the programs’ controversial methods.
Utah lawmakers call for examination of court-ordered reunification after a judge was persuaded by the theory of parental alienation to order Ty and Brynlee Larson back into their father’s custody.
Several people who testified in favor of the proposed reforms are plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against former custody evaluator Mark Kilmer, alleging fraud and breach of contract.
A judge concluded the children were victims of parental alienation, which continues to influence family courts despite being rejected by mainstream scientific groups, and authorized police to use “reasonable force” to remove them from their mother.
A state-approved list of custody evaluators included some who had been accused of domestic violence and disciplined by the State Board of Psychologist Examiners.
In Colorado family courts, parents can request an expert evaluation of their case, which sometimes includes allegations of abuse. Mark Kilmer is routinely appointed to evaluate families despite his own history of domestic violence.
ProPublica previously detailed how the evangelical school had dismissed reports of rape and threatened to punish accusers for running afoul of its moral code. Investigators are now looking into whether Liberty violated federal law.
Bonnie Bridgforth supported five children with an $8.50-an-hour job when she was told she no longer qualified for welfare in Maine. But the state — like so many others — was sitting on a huge stockpile of funds.
Following a ProPublica report that detailed how the evangelical college discouraged and threatened to punish students who report being raped, Sen. Tim Kaine says his office is “urging the Department of Education to investigate.”
The school founded by evangelist Jerry Falwell ignored reports of rape and threatened to punish accusers for breaking its moral code, say former students. An official who says he was fired for raising concerns calls it a “conspiracy of silence.”
“Institutions in the Jewish world have long known about his behavior, and they have looked the other way,” said one of seven women who have recounted Steinhardt making sexual requests. Steinhardt denied many of the allegations but apologized for “boorish” comments.
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