repressed memories

dlowan wrote:

Because it seemed to me you claimed that amnesia was always a result of PHYSICAL trauma.

Amnesia can be caused by all sorts of things, but the cause is almost always explicable. Explaining things by means of the unconscious, on the other hand, is to resort to the inexplicable.

BROOKSVILLE " The 16-year-old boy told authorities a harrowing story about how his adoptive mother abused him for three years.

It escalated last month, authorities say, when she beat him with a 3-foot piece of wood and a metal-tipped water hose and then locked him in a bathroom, naked and bloodied.

But the mother's attorney on Tuesday called the allegations a lie and labeled the boy a "pathological liar or a sociopath."

The assertion by John H. Feiner, a former federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, was the first made on behalf of Tai-Ling Gigliotti, who entered a not guilty plea in a Hernando County courtroom.

The 50-year-old widow of world-renowned classical clarinetist Anthony Gigliotti is charged with five counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of felony child abuse.

On Feb. 8, authorities allege, Gigliotti ordered her son to strip naked and bound his hands with packing tape before beating him repeatedly. She then locked him in the bathroom and cut the power before leaving their home in a quiet Spring Hill neighborhood.

The boy, who officials say escaped the next day, told investigators the beating was the latest incident in a three-year pattern of mistreatment. Authorities say the boy had bruises on nearly every part of his body, a broken right forearm and lacerations on his buttocks so severe he couldn't sit.

Feiner said the claims against his client are exaggerated.

Headline, Tampa, FL:
"Mother denies abusing son, whom attorney calls 'a pathological liar'"

By John Frank, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Feiner's legal career includes four years as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, where he specialized in child abuse, sexual abuse and drug cases. A member of the California and Colorado bar associations, he is the managing partner of his firm, Criminal Defense Advocates, which touts its ability to get charges dropped or resolved with plea agreements that do not include jail time.

His highest-profile case came representing Timothy Alan Lobretto, a member of Hells Angels, on charges stemming from a fight. But California court documents indicate that on the eve of the trial Feiner shot himself.

The documents suggest Feiner had some "mental difficulties,'' but he said Tuesday the court record is incorrect. Without elaborating, he said he dropped his gun, causing it to fire.

Times staff researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. John Frank can be reached at [email protected] or (352) 754-6114.