Alleged abuse victim 'revictimized'

Adrian, California -

A California woman who has accused the choir director of Adrian College of raping her when she was a student at a California Catholic high school met briefly yesterday with the college's president.

But Joelle Casteix, who said she wanted to share information with school officials about Thomas Hodgman, the choir director, said she walked out of the meeting in tears.

"I wasn't expecting the questioning of my story. I wasn't prepared for them to call it a consensual relationship even though I was a minor. … I was berated, belittled, and revictimized," she said.

Claudia Vercellotti, head of the Toledo chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, accompanied Ms. Casteix to the meeting with President Stanley Caine and Phil Baither, a college attorney.

Calls to Mr. Caine were not returned yesterday. But Mr. Baither said Ms. Casteix shared information that the college will pursue. He confirmed Ms. Casteix left the meeting, but said he did not consider it a "confrontational" discussion.

- toledoblade.com - Dated April 29, 2005

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