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Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

: Practical Paralegalism

Paralegal Student Shares Story of Sexual Abuse in New Book

By Lynne DeVenny

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When Amanda Bennett stepped forward to report alleged sexual molestation by her stepfather, Scott McCarter, she could not have anticipated the heartbreaking consequences. On May 25, 2006, McCarter was scheduled to appear in court to answer the charges. Instead, he shot and killed his wife, Wendy, their two minor children, Scotty and Melanie, and then killed himself.

But Bennett, now a paralegal student in the ABA-approved program at Cumberland County College in New Jersey, is sharing her story in Amanda's Voice (Fireside Publications, 2009), written by her grandmother, Eileen Bennett, a reporter. Eileen Bennett told The Daily Journal that it was Amanda who inspired her to tell the story:

She recalled a candid moment when Amanda Bennett was talking about her lost family members and feeling so many things had been left unsaid.
"I feel like I should write a letter... but I don't know who I would send it to," Bennett recalled her granddaughter saying. That sparked a three-year labor of love that resulted in the book, "Amanda's Voice." Fireside Publications of Lady Lake, Fla., released the 210-page publication earlier this month.
The book details Amanda Bennett's decision to publicly name her stepfather, McCarter, as a sexual abuser and how she coped with the devastating ramifications.

Amanda Bennett is sharing her story to help other girls that are experiencing abuse. She also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the N.J. Division of Youth and Family Services for improperly handling her case and failing to protect her family, and received a $750,000 settlement.

Her grandmother thinks of Amanda's Voice as a testimonial to her granddaughter's courage and resilience:

I don't think of it as the story of her abuse, it is the story about the beautiful person she has become. I see the beautiful young lady picking herself up and getting on with life -- there are not many people that can do it.

For more information about Amanda Bennett's story, see reporter Matt Dunn's in-depth feature story, "Victim has a voice in new book" at nj.com.

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on November 28, 2009 (boomark / email).