Douglas Kennedy Acquitted in Child Endangerment Case
Douglas Kennedy was acquitted Tuesday of child endangerment and harassment charges stemming from an altercation he had with Northern Westchester Hospital nurses following the birth of his son last January.
In a 10-page decision, Mount Kisco Village Justice John Donohue found Kennedy, 45, a Chappaqua resident and the youngest son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, not guilty. Donohue concluded that Kennedy’s actions did not rise to the level of child endangerment when he attempted to leave the maternity ward with his two-day-old son, Anthony Beau, to go outside for fresh air.
During the weeklong non-jury trial last month in village court, nurses Anna Lane and Cari Luciano testified they were physically mistreated by Kennedy last Jan. 7 when they tried to prevent him from leaving the floor without proper authorization, a violation of hospital policy.
Lane claimed that Kennedy twisted her arm when she tried to hold the stairwell door shut. Luciano testified that seconds later, after Kennedy had opened the door, he kicked her in the pelvic area. The incident was captured on hospital surveillance video.
Defense lawyer Robert Gottlieb had argued that the two nurses exaggerated their stories in hopes of getting a guilty verdict and cash in by suing Kennedy. Lane and Luciano testified they had retained a civil attorney but no suit was filed.
Kennedy could have faced up to one year in prison had he been convicted of the child endangerment charge, a misdemeanor. The defense team waived his right to a jury trial.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
