Harley Young
*Warning article contains references to suicide*
Catherine Kassenoff, a mother who had beaten breast cancer twice and faced off against criminals and gang members when she was a federal prosecutor, admitted that it was the New York family court system that broke her.
In the suicide note posted on Facebook on 27 May, she said that she was scheduled to die via assisted suicide later that day.
The note shared details of the Westchester, NY, mother-of-three's sadness and reasoning behind her decision to end her life in Switzerland.
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The public post began: "It is with a profound heartbreak … that I am writing my last post ever. Today, I will be ending my own life … In the last four years of my life I have woken up every day to a nightmare like no other."
The 54-year-old was an attorney and had previously served as special counsel to New York Governor, Kathy Hochul.
The suicide note shared how she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer but blamed her decision to end her life by assisted suicide on a custody battle and the alleged ongoing abuse from her ex-husband.
Despite Catherine having no history of criminal offences, mental health problems or issues with substance misuse, a Westchester family court made the decision to cut off the contact the mom had with her young daughters - aged nine, 12 and 13.
She also claimed that the court had taken her home, her dogs, and her life savings while continuously denying any contact with her children.
Catherine was involved in the custody dispute with her litigator husband for over two years, which she claimed the court was biased in favor of her husband. Photos have indicated a potential bias which would cause a conflict of interest involving the judge and custody evaluator handling the case.
The children's attorney, Carol Most, was dismissed from the case after being sued for misconduct by Catherine.
However, despite new information that favors Catherine's views, a new forensic evaluator instead reaffirmed a previous report, further blocking the mom from seeing her children.
Father of the three daughters and ex-husband of Catherine, Allan Kassenoff, issued a statement via his attorney to The Post that claimed the court had awarded him full custody of the children amid safety concerns.
It reads, in part: “At every stage of this four-year custody dispute, the court system has acted responsibly and thoroughly. Following a neutral forensic evaluator’s assessment, the court ordered an immediate order granting their father sole legal and physical custody.
"The court also issued an urgent order of protection against Ms. Kassenoff eliminating unsupervised interactions with the children based on what they observed when they were with their mother … While it is always difficult limiting a parent’s access to their children, given the circumstances of this case, it was found to be in the best interest of the children to take these steps urgently. The children have been in our client’s care for 3 ½ years and they are safe and healthy.”
Allan, who works for law firm Greenberg Traurig, is under an investigation by the company and taken a 'voluntary leave of absence to focus on his family'.
Catherine's suicide note continued: "I cannot survive this torment and the grief that comes from such a prolonged separation from my children.
"The court system did this to me … It is a predatory system that functions in darkness - through ‘gag orders’ like the one in my case, through a publicly-inaccessible docket, through a closed courtroom, and through ex parte ‘temporary’ orders that are in place for years."
Catherine's attorney, Wayne Baker, said he was 'awaiting definitive confirmation' of her death. He told Ms Magazine he believes she 'elected to end her life, peacefully with dignity in Switzerland'.
UNILAD has contact Allan Kassenoff's attorney for further comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123
For US readers, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org