DEBORAH STEINBERG'S STATEMENT TO THE BOARD
July 25, 2006
Almost 2 years ago I became a Trustee at the Albert Ellis Institute. I have learned that with power comes responsibility and that when power is abused, great harm will follow.
And it has.
On January 30, 2006, Judge Edward Lehner ( Supreme Court of New York County) concurred with New York State precedent that there “is a common-law right for a director whose removal is sought to have notice and an opportunity to defend against any wrongdoing asserted.”
The defendants McMahon, Broder, Vernon, and Stuart had thus violated Al’s rights when on September, 18, 2005, they chose to remove him as a Trustee in a secretly planned coup. This “dismissal was done without notice of any kind or the right of confrontation,” a behavior referenced in case law cited by Judge Lehner as “offensive and contrary to our fundamental process of democratic and legal procedure, fair play and the spirit of the law.”
Judge Lehner went on to say, “Ironically, a summary of the foregoing principles is laid out in a text co-authored by Daniel Kurtz,” the attorney who represented the defendants.
Ann Vernon denies being part of the September 18th secret planning. However, she was unwilling to sign onto the Minority Report of September 23rd with Steinberg and Velten disavowing the resolution passed that removed Al as a Trustee. She was also unwilling to question the judgment of attorney Kurtz and the others and require a second opinion. Vernon refused as well to vote with us against stacking the Board with new Trustees, who, by virtue of their close relationship to McMahon, Broder and Stuart, escalated the damage to the AEI and to Al.
Harm often occurs when otherwise good people dutifully and without question, follow the directions of those in power who appear to have abused their position of authority.
Al was further mistreated when he was removed from all professional activities including his beloved Friday night workshop in July 2005. He was given no notice, no opportunity to hear the complaints or to defend against them. DiGiuseppe, Doyle, and Broder signed the suspension memo. They had no discussions with Al to produce alternative solutions. We had “no other choice” was their response to the outrage coming from the REBT community.
“The Practitioner’s Guide to Rational Emotive Therapy” clearly lays out the importance of brainstorming and generating a number of possible solutions to any problem.
Co-authors of this Practitioner’s Guide are Walen, Dryden, and yes, .. DiGiuseppe, who also co-authored Al’s suspension.
There is more.
Another experienced clinician had this to say about how to achieve success in relationships. He writes: “Don’t think about winning or losing. Instead, think about resolving the problem. Remember, if both of you are concentrating on winning, at least one of you will lose in the short run. Thus no one will ultimately win, which means both of you will probably lose.” Wise words indeed. The author…ironically, Michael Broder.
Michael is right. We all lose when winning is the objective. One year ago in August 2005, we begged Michael and the others by phone and email to mediate their differences and to seek peace. But Michael told me that “it was too late for peace.” Yes, it is too late for peace when “winning,” not peace, is your objective.
Minority Report IV responds in detail to the unsupportable memo advanced by DiGiuseppe, Doyle and Broder to justify Al’s removal from his professional activities.
And the McMahon Report, which attacked Al’s ethical conduct, and was used to justify his removal, is brilliantly deconstructed by Bill Knaus and Irwin Altrows. Bill and Irwin offer a careful and meticulous rebuttal to every point raised by McMahon.
Reasoned judgment and decency must be re-established at the AEI.
Those who cause harm, intentionally or otherwise, must be held accountable and accept consequences commensurate with the damage they have caused.
This means that those trustees, through whose votes injury resulted, should be asked to surrender their votes and power for the good of the AEI and the REBT community.
Jim, Mike, and Ann, stand up and demonstrate that you care more about the Institute than you do about your hold on power. You have suggested that you all would step aside “in a heartbeat” were you to feel confident that the Institute would remain a “safe and highly professional place where the fellows, interns and staff would be protected.” Rest assured, The Board in Waiting will work diligently with you so that your concerns are reasonably addressed. I encourage you to work out a rational arrangement with this Board in Waiting who represent senior members of the REBT community who stand ready to step up to the plate.
Some decisions are difficult to make. But justice is required. Those responsible for this disarray must step aside so that repair to the AEI and to its pioneer founder can begin.
“IF NOT NOW, WHEN?”
Signed: Deborah Steinberg and Emmett Velten,
Trustees,
The Albert Ellis Institute