A SECOND APPROXIMATION TO THE JUDICIAL DECISION OF WILK AND APPEAL. THE INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR OF WOODY ALLEN WITH DYLAN FARROW IS NOT WHAT THEY HAVE MADE YOU BELIEVE.

The so-called inappropriate behavior of Woody Allen with his daughter, Dylan Farrow, is one of the most cited and worst-interpreted issues of all those dealt with by Judge Wilk. Usually the statement that there are some inappropriate behaviors of Allen is considered proof of the existence of sexual abuse, or at least a corroboration that Judge Wilk considered it.

However, the fact is that Wilk's mention of inappropriate behavior does not include sexually abusive behavior, but, in fact, expressly excludes it. Child abuse in the United States is defined by different state and federal regulations, although with some common characteristics. Child abuse is defined:

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/define.pdf

Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect

Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm

The employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of any child to engage in, or assist any other person to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct or simulation of such conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct; or The rape, and in cases of caretaker or interfamilial relationships, statutory rape, molestation, prostitution, or other form of sexual exploitation of children, or incest with children.

Types of Abuse

 Nearly all States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands provide civil definitions of child abuse and neglect in statute. States recognize the different types of abuse in their definitions, including physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Some States also provide definitions in statute for parental substance abuse and/or for abandonment as child abuse

Although not commonly mentioned when assessing Wilk's court ruling, Mia Farrow had included in her answer to Allen's lawsuit the express claim that Allen's relationship with Dylan was at best inappropriate and, at worst, , abusive.

The respondent maintains that the petitioner has shown no genuine parental interest in, nor any regard for, the children's welfare and that any interest he has shown has been inappropriate and even harmful. Respondent cites the fact that the petitioner has commenced and maintained an intimate sexual relationship with her daughter Soon-Yi Previn, which he has refused to curtail, despite the obvious ill efects it has had on all of the children and the especially profound efect it has had on Moses. It is also contended that petitioner has at best, an inappropriately intense interest in, and at worst, an abusive relationship with, the parties' daughter Dylan. Further, the respondent maintains that petitioner's contact with the parties' biological son, Satchel, is harmful to the child in that petitioner represents an emotional threat and has on at least one occasion threatened physical harm. Respondent contends that the petitioner's only motive in commencing this proceeding was to retaliate against the allegations of child sexual abuse made against him by Ms. Farrow.

Therefore, when describing the relationship with Allen as "inappropriate" Wilk not only says that he considers the relationship "inappropriate", he also says that he does not consider it abusive and, consequently, is excluding the entire range of behaviors that we have just seen when identifying abusive behaviors about children. It is impossible to assess Wilk's claim without taking into account the alternatives and, although it is true that one of the alternatives was to declare that the relationship was good or normal, it is also true that another of the alternatives expressly submitted to his assessment was that the relationship with Dylan was abusive. By calling it "inappropriate," Wilk decides and chooses, and does so by discarding that Allen's relationship with Dylan was abusive: Allen's behavior does not amount to abuse and, of course, does not constitute sexual abuse.

In this same sense, Dr. Coates pronounced in her assessment, assumed by Judge Wilk in the judicial decision, by declaring that Allen's relationship with Dylan was intense, in the sense of excluding others, but not of a sexual nature. This conclusion was accepted in a general way by all the experts.

The various psychiatric  experts  who  testified  or  otherwise  provided  reports  did  not  conclude  that  Allen's  behavior  toward  Dylan  prior  to  August  of  1992  was explicitly sexual in nature. However, the clear consensus was that his interest in Dylan was abnormally intense in that he made inordinate demands on her time and focused on her to the exclusion of Satchel and Moses even when they were present.

Allen's behavior showed an abnormally intense interest in Dylan, but always taking into account the meaning that the appeal statement itself clarifies from this expression: that he spent a lot of time with her and when he was with her, he ignored the other children. It is not an intense relationship in the sense of excessive physical contact or inappropriate or disproportionate, as other readings have wanted to see. It is an abnormally intense relationship because Allen dedicates a much larger part of his time to Dylan than he does to the other children and dedicates his attention to her exclusively. When assessing this conclusion, it should also be borne in mind that Allen did not under any circumstances spend with Dylan, nor with the children, a considerable period of the day.

It should also be noted that Wilk concludes that Allen's behavior is inappropriate based on the testimony of Mia Farrow, Dr. Coates, Dr. Leventhal and Woody Allen himself (The credible testimony of Ms. Farrow, Dr. Coates, Dr. Leventhal and Mr. Allen does, however, prove that Mr. Allen's behavior toward Dylan was grossly inappropriate). We already know that Mrs. Coates considered the relationship inappropriately intense, but it was not sexual in nature and that Dr. Levehntal considered it proven that no sexual abuse had occurred. Obviously, Allen himself described their relationship as belonging to a paternal love, without any kind of connotation of another kind. On the other hand, it is striking that neither Dylan's therapist (Dr. Schutz), nor Dylan's nanny during the previous two years, nor any of the nannies as we are, witnessed Allen's inadequate behavior -in any of the senses-.

In any of the cases, the analysis of the decisions of the custody procedure leaves no room for doubt: Allen's inappropriate behavior had no sexual component and the intensity of the relationship does not refer to excessive physical contact, inadequate or of any other kind , makes reference to dedicating to Dylan much more attention than to the other children. Behaviors of child abuse are expressly excluded.







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