Stephen Collins molestation story intensifies

Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY 10:45 a.m. EDT October 8, 2014

Stephen Collins is alive and well, and still enduring the harsh glare of the spotlight in the wake of Monday's audio tape revelation that he molested at least three underage girls at some point in the past.

But things are getting uglier.

The 7th Heaven actor hasn't spoken or issued any statement, but his lawyer, Mark Kaplan, is pointing the finger at Faye Grant, the actor's estranged wife, as the source of the leaked tape.

Kaplan, who has not responded to USA TODAY's requests for comment, tells TMZ that Grant has been holding the tape over the actor's head as leverage to get money from him as their nasty divorce case drags on.

"Over the course of my representation of Stephen in the divorce case, Faye has repeatedly threatened to give this audio tape to the media unless Stephen agreed to pay her millions of dollars more than that to which she was legally entitled."

Divorce proceedings to end the 27-year marriage started in 2012. Grant, 57, starred on TV shows including V and State of Grace, and she co-starred with Collins in the 1996 TV movie, On Seventh Avenue.

More: Fans react to Collins news

Kaplan says Grant has attempted "to peddle the tape in numerous ways to numerous different people. It appears that she has finally found an audience for this tape — not surprisingly, on the eve of the trial in the divorce case where, again, she is seeking millions of dollars more than that to which she is legally entitled."

Grant issued a statement denying any involvement. "I had no involvement whatsoever with the release of the tape to the media."

But in divorce documents, she states that Collins was living a "secret life," engaging in a "long-term pattern of sexually abusing minor children, including sexually molesting three young girls over a decade ago."

As for the molestation, Kaplan says he'd like to address the audio confession but "the circumstances dictate that we must regrettably refrain from doing so at this time."

More: False reports spark Collins suicide rumors

Reports flew Tuesday night that the beloved 7th Heaven actor, 67, had committed suicide. Los Angeles police went to his home, responding to a call, but he wasn't there. No one was hurt.

In the wake of the tape going public, Collins has been dropped from the upcoming movie Ted 2, and networks including UP and TVGN have pulled 7th Heaven reruns from their schedules.

Meanwhile, two 7th Heaven co-stars have spoken out about Collins. Catherine Hicks, who played Collins' wife on the show, was asked by a videographer about the news. "I have nothing to say, nothing to hide. Stephen's a good guy in my opinion," she said.

And Kyle Sears, who had a small role on the show, recalls nothing unusual on the set. "He was definitely a father figure to everyone," he tells TMZ.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/peop ... /16905815/

I am all for Stephen Collins going to jail for abusing three girls in his past.

I am not at all thrilled that someone leaked a tape from a therapy session. When was this taped? We did therapy in my class today and I stated what happens in therapy stays in therapy. I also explained Duty to Warn laws that define that imminent threats to self or others must be reported.

I don't like the clues to the identity of one of the victims either. The niece of your ex-wife. When did these crimes occur? Will the victims be like Polanski's victim who did not want any of this on the front page?

Found out some more stuff...

The gist of it is this: A relative of Collins' first wife went to police in November 2012 and told them she was sexually assaulted by Collins when she was 14 years old while inside his New York apartment, a senior law enforcement official told CNN on Tuesday evening.

Due to the statue of limitations, he can't face charges in the case. There are specific laws in child sexual abuse cases in New York that do allow for an extension of the statute of limitations, but even with that, this particular case against Collins can't be prosecuted, the official added.

Now, the investigation continues to see if there might be any other women with similar allegations, the source said.

(In New York, a person has five years from their 18th birthday to make an accusation of sexual abuse to authorities.)

Los Angeles police said they received information two years ago regarding allegations of criminal behavior.

The case is no longer active, LAPD spokesman Andrew Neiman said.

"No crime report was ever made and there was no verified victim," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/08/showbiz/s ... ?hpt=hp_t3

An extremely ugly story on many different levels ~

Sooz

What he did was horrible and may not even be the extent of his abusive behavior. Most pedophiles abuse over and over. There could be more recent victims who come forward now. I wish he could be prosecuted, with the tape as evidence.

However, his wife is just as despicable. Using the tape to extort more money from him? Shows where her loyalty lies. With the almighty dollar, or she would have reported this to authorities a long time ago. She has no conscience or regard for others.

The therapist is negligent for not reporting it within the Duty to Warn laws.

These victims have been victimized over and over, by all involved who knew, yet did nothing.

The Duty to Warn laws and the Code of Ethics would prevent the therapist from reporting this.

An imminent plan to harm self or others. You cannot report I broke the law 13 years ago, no matter how disgusting. I was talking about something horrible in class today. If I had a client who came in and said, "I have HIV and I am NOT telling my wife", I am powerless. I cannot warn in this instance because the HIV confidentiality laws apply.

Stephen Collins' victims are in their mid 20s and can no longer report the crime. However, during my internship I had a 20 year old report her stepfather for abuses to her and her sister from about ages 12 to 15. Her mother knew all along and did nothing. Told the girls not to say anything. That was the mother's response even when the girl was 20. The mother was still with the stepdad, and she was afraid she'd get in trouble as a result of the trial.

There is an exception to confidentiality to report child abuse and in most states it is mandatory. However, in most states the child has to be under the age of 18 at the time of the report, as the child welfare agency only has jurisdiction to act if the child is under age 18.

Thanks Kathy and queen. All very complicated, if you ask me. I could NOT be a therapist (or lawyer) who had to listen to people confess to horrible crimes and then be unable to report them.

Questions about Stephen Collins case still unanswered


Maria Puente, USA TODAY 10:24 a.m. EDT October 15, 2014

The court of public opinion has ruled in the Stephen Collins pedophilia "confession" case, but nagging questions remain. Among them: What happened to the presumption of innocence?

Collins, a B-list actor, was secretly recorded admitting to decades-old child molestation, during a therapy session in connection with his divorce. The tape was leaked to TMZ last week, two years after it was made.

Immediately, Collins is toast. At least one criminal investigation is launched. He's fired from a movie. His appearances in a hit TV show are canceled. Reruns of his successful series 7th Heaven are suspended. He resigns from the board of the Screen Actors Guild. His agent drops him. Friends and foes defend and excoriate him on social media. Concerns about his state of mind are such that they provoke false alarms that he has committed suicide at his home. Media search for clues everywhere, including today's report that Collins plays a pedophile priest in a new film.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/peop ... /17002949/

The court of public opinion has ruled in the Stephen Collins pedophilia "confession" case, but nagging questions remain. Among them: What happened to the presumption of innocence?

Presumption of innocence! With a story as juicy as this! You've got to be kidding! Hang the fucker, I say! Then grind his bones and feed 'em to the hogs! What do we need evidence for. We've got the word of a vicious disgruntled ex-wife for proof. What more could we need?

Now a new victim has showed up. She was allegedly molested in 1983 at the age of 13 meaning she would be 44 now.

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb ... 01441.html

Oh I'm sure there will be lots of "victims" crawling out of the woodwork now. There might be some money involved.