Hedda Nussbaum
Encyclopedia
Hedda Nussbaum is an American woman who was the caretaker for a six-year old girl who died of physical abuse
in 1987. The death of the girl, known as Lisa Steinberg, sparked a lengthy and controversial trial and media frenzy. The legal case was one of the first to be televised "gavel
to gavel." Supporters characterized Nussbaum as a victim of horrific domestic abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, Joel Steinberg
. Critics suggested she was a consensual partner in a sado-masochistic relationship and an unprosecuted conspirator in the young girl's death.
in 1975, Nussbaum had been an editor and author of children's books at Random House
publishers. Steinberg was a defense attorney who sometimes handled adoption
cases. Beginning in 1976, Nussbaum and Steinberg lived together in a brownstone
apartment in New York City
's Greenwich Village
. Her 1977 book, Plants Do Amazing Things, was dedicated, in part, "to Joel, my everyday inspiration."
Due to Nussbaum's occasionally obvious bruises and other injuries, friends and colleagues suspected that Nussbaum was the victim of domestic violence
. Neighbors later stated to police they believed that Nussbaum and Steinberg were active participants in a "some kind of a sexual sadomasochistic game." Friends occasionally offered to help if Nussbaum was being abused, but she declined their offers of intervention or aid and refused to implicate Steinberg. After extended absences from work, Random House put Nussbaum on consulting editor status in 1982.
In 1981, under dubious legal circumstances, Nussbaum and Steinberg took custody of an infant girl they named Lisa. The girl's birth mother had paid Steinberg a $500.00 legal fee to place the child with a Roman Catholic family; both Steinberg and Nussbaum were Jewish. Under similar circumstances, Nussbaum and Steinberg later took in a toddler they named Mitchell. Nussbaum and Steinberg never legally adopted either child.
In her 2005 book Surviving Intimate Terrorism, Nussbaum argued that her denial
of the danger she and her children lived in was typical of some chronically maltreated persons (see battered person syndrome
). Nussbaum claimed that she fled from the home six times, only to later return. In her 2005 book, Nussbaum also mentions the medical theory that trauma, especially prolonged trauma, can elicit the body's production of opoids that produce mental and physical numbness. In her 2005 book, Nussbaum also suggests that her "numbness" further reduced her ability to think and act clearly, akin to "Stockholm Syndrome
", a mental state wherein victims identify with their abusers.
. According to initial police reports, Nussbaum didn't notify authorities because she believed Steinberg had supernatural
healing powers. At roughly 6.00 a.m. the next morning, Lisa stopped breathing. Shortly thereafter, Steinberg telephoned 911
at Nussbaum's urging.
After Lisa's death, Mitchell was discovered in squalid conditions. The child's birth mother, Nicole Smiegel, had waived her parental rights. However, since a legal adoption had never occurred, Smiegel was ultimately granted custody of her son.
When authorities learned of Lisa's death, they initially charged both Nussbaum and Steinberg with complicity. In the course of the investigation, however, charges were later dropped against Nussbaum. She agreed to testify against Steinberg, and medical examination revealed that Nussbaum was anemic
, malnourished, and suffering from broken bones and chronic infections. With these findings, authorities determined that Nussbaum was physically incapable of seriously wounding Lisa.
Nussbaum's courtroom testimony against Steinberg earned substantial media
attention, due in part to her face showing obvious evidence of physical trauma. There were also indications, as Nussbaum testified in court, that Lisa had been sexually abused by people outside of her immediate family. During the trial, medical experts testified that while Lisa's injuries were severe, she would have almost certainly survived if given prompt medical treatment.
Steinberg was convicted on charges of second-degree manslaughter
. After serving 16 years at the Southport Correctional Facility in Pine City, New York, he was released in 2004.
for an organization that assists battered women. In 1995, Nussbaum began giving lectures about abuse at colleges and shelters. When Steinberg was released from prison, however, she receded from public attention until the publication of her book a year and a half later.
whose actions were controlled and restricted not only by her abusive partner, but also by the culture at large that denies the seriousness or abuse in the home. Other leading feminists—notably Susan Brownmiller
—suggested that while Nussbaum suffered violence from her partner, she may also have shared full culpability for Lisa's death.
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...
in 1987. The death of the girl, known as Lisa Steinberg, sparked a lengthy and controversial trial and media frenzy. The legal case was one of the first to be televised "gavel
Gavel
A gavel is a small ceremonial mallet commonly made of hardwood, typically fashioned with a handle and often struck against a sound block to enhance its sounding qualities. It is a symbol of the authority and right to act officially in the capacity of a chair or presiding officer. It is used to call...
to gavel." Supporters characterized Nussbaum as a victim of horrific domestic abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, Joel Steinberg
Joel Steinberg
Joel Steinberg , a former New York criminal defense attorney, attracted international media attention when he was accused of murder and convicted of manslaughter in the November 1, 1987, death of a six-year-old girl, Elizabeth , whom he and his live-in partner Hedda Nussbaum had illegally adopted...
. Critics suggested she was a consensual partner in a sado-masochistic relationship and an unprosecuted conspirator in the young girl's death.
Early life and career
Before meeting Joel SteinbergJoel Steinberg
Joel Steinberg , a former New York criminal defense attorney, attracted international media attention when he was accused of murder and convicted of manslaughter in the November 1, 1987, death of a six-year-old girl, Elizabeth , whom he and his live-in partner Hedda Nussbaum had illegally adopted...
in 1975, Nussbaum had been an editor and author of children's books at Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
publishers. Steinberg was a defense attorney who sometimes handled adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
cases. Beginning in 1976, Nussbaum and Steinberg lived together in a brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
apartment in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
. Her 1977 book, Plants Do Amazing Things, was dedicated, in part, "to Joel, my everyday inspiration."
Due to Nussbaum's occasionally obvious bruises and other injuries, friends and colleagues suspected that Nussbaum was the victim of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
. Neighbors later stated to police they believed that Nussbaum and Steinberg were active participants in a "some kind of a sexual sadomasochistic game." Friends occasionally offered to help if Nussbaum was being abused, but she declined their offers of intervention or aid and refused to implicate Steinberg. After extended absences from work, Random House put Nussbaum on consulting editor status in 1982.
In 1981, under dubious legal circumstances, Nussbaum and Steinberg took custody of an infant girl they named Lisa. The girl's birth mother had paid Steinberg a $500.00 legal fee to place the child with a Roman Catholic family; both Steinberg and Nussbaum were Jewish. Under similar circumstances, Nussbaum and Steinberg later took in a toddler they named Mitchell. Nussbaum and Steinberg never legally adopted either child.
In her 2005 book Surviving Intimate Terrorism, Nussbaum argued that her denial
Denial
Denial is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.The subject may use:* simple denial: deny the reality of the...
of the danger she and her children lived in was typical of some chronically maltreated persons (see battered person syndrome
Battered person syndrome
Battered person syndrome is a physical and psychological condition that is classified as ICD-9 code "Battered person syndrome" NEC. The condition is the basis for the battered woman defense that has been used in cases of physically and psychologically abused women who have killed their abusers...
). Nussbaum claimed that she fled from the home six times, only to later return. In her 2005 book, Nussbaum also mentions the medical theory that trauma, especially prolonged trauma, can elicit the body's production of opoids that produce mental and physical numbness. In her 2005 book, Nussbaum also suggests that her "numbness" further reduced her ability to think and act clearly, akin to "Stockholm Syndrome
Stockholm syndrome
In psychology, Stockholm Syndrome is an apparently paradoxical psychological phenomenon wherein hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them...
", a mental state wherein victims identify with their abusers.
Lisa's death and subsequent trial
According to initial police reports, on November 1, 1987 around 7:00 p.m., Steinberg rendered Lisa unconscious with a severe blow to the head. Nussbaum remained alone with the dying child for roughly ten hours, failing to notify police or medical personnel. Steinberg departed and returned several times, sometimes freebasing cocaineCocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. According to initial police reports, Nussbaum didn't notify authorities because she believed Steinberg had supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
healing powers. At roughly 6.00 a.m. the next morning, Lisa stopped breathing. Shortly thereafter, Steinberg telephoned 911
911
Year 911 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* Rebellion of the Kutama Berbers against the Fatimid Caliphate...
at Nussbaum's urging.
After Lisa's death, Mitchell was discovered in squalid conditions. The child's birth mother, Nicole Smiegel, had waived her parental rights. However, since a legal adoption had never occurred, Smiegel was ultimately granted custody of her son.
When authorities learned of Lisa's death, they initially charged both Nussbaum and Steinberg with complicity. In the course of the investigation, however, charges were later dropped against Nussbaum. She agreed to testify against Steinberg, and medical examination revealed that Nussbaum was anemic
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
, malnourished, and suffering from broken bones and chronic infections. With these findings, authorities determined that Nussbaum was physically incapable of seriously wounding Lisa.
Nussbaum's courtroom testimony against Steinberg earned substantial media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
attention, due in part to her face showing obvious evidence of physical trauma. There were also indications, as Nussbaum testified in court, that Lisa had been sexually abused by people outside of her immediate family. During the trial, medical experts testified that while Lisa's injuries were severe, she would have almost certainly survived if given prompt medical treatment.
Steinberg was convicted on charges of second-degree manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
. After serving 16 years at the Southport Correctional Facility in Pine City, New York, he was released in 2004.
Later life
In the years following Lisa's death, Nussbaum worked to rebuild her life and had numerous reconstructive plastic surgeries. She also co-facilitated a support group for battered women for about eight years and later worked as a paralegalParalegal
Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...
for an organization that assists battered women. In 1995, Nussbaum began giving lectures about abuse at colleges and shelters. When Steinberg was released from prison, however, she receded from public attention until the publication of her book a year and a half later.
Analyses
According to D. Kelly Weisberg, the Nussbaum case polarized feminist scholars and activists. Some saw Nussbaum as an archetypal victim of domestic violenceDomestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
whose actions were controlled and restricted not only by her abusive partner, but also by the culture at large that denies the seriousness or abuse in the home. Other leading feminists—notably Susan Brownmiller
Susan Brownmiller
Susan Brownmiller is an American feminist, journalist, author, and activist. She is best known for her pioneering work on the politics of rape in her 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape, Brownmiller argues that rape had been hitherto defined by men rather than women; and that men use,...
—suggested that while Nussbaum suffered violence from her partner, she may also have shared full culpability for Lisa's death.