On Saturday, May 27, 2023, Catherine Kassenoff wrote a Facebook Post, saying she planned to end her life that day:
“This is a story that ends with my own assisted death in Switzerland. Its lead up has been published for years on Facebook, in Ms. magazine and in other media. The New York Court system is responsible for this outcome and should be held accountable for ruining the lives of my children, me, and so many other similarly-situated protective parents (mostly mothers) who have tried to stand up against abuse but were labeled ‘liars,’ ‘mentally ill’ and then treated like criminals.”
The executor of Catherine’s estate, attorney Wayne Baker of New Mexico, told MS Magazine he does not know for sure, but “strongly believes” Catherine “elected to end her life peacefully with dignity in Switzerland.”
Her four year divorce and custody case is still active; Catherine and husband Allan Kassenoff are married as of press time. If it is confirmed she is deceased, the case will be “abated” without final judgment. Allan will be deemed a widower.
Baker said confirmation of her death could take four to six weeks.
The Kassenoffs have three children: Alexandra, 13. Charlotte, 12, and Josephine, 9.
Some think she’s alive
Several sources who know Catherine and Allan Kassenoff think she may be alive. They point to an alleged incident that occurred a few years ago, where Catherine allegedly took the identity of a family member, secured ID, and engaged in financial transactions. According to one source, the relative did not press charges.
Cancer Returns
In Catherine’s last Facebook post, she said she had a “dire new diagnosis” of cancer. She had breast cancer twice, first in 2008 and again in 2017. She underwent chemotherapy in 2017.
She announced her new terminal diagnosis for the first time on Facebook on the day she purportedly died – May 27, 2023. Sources told FR that she did not disclose this to her children or Allan. They found out from Facebook.
Catherine wrote
Perhaps if I had not been re-diagnosed with cancer I could have lasted in this fight longer. But I do not have the strength to go forward. More importantly, I do not want to traumatize my children any longer in this court system…
FR spoke to two of Catherine’s friends, both attorneys, who worked closely with her. Both said they spoke and/or texted with her up to the day of her purported suicide. Both said she never mentioned she had cancer.
One said he sent her three texts on March 27. She replied to the first two texts. The third text she never answered.
A source close to the Kassenoff family says Catherine did not need to travel to Switzerland and pay $8,000-$12,000 for assisted suicide. Catherine was a citizen of Canada, they said, and qualified for free assisted suicide.
Catherine Had Assets
Catherine could afford to travel to Switzerland if this was her preferred location to end her life.
According to her husband, Allan, the court ordered him to pay Catherine $885,000 from 2020-2023.
2020: $100,000.
April 2022 – $150,000 interim legal fee award
April 2022 – $335,000 (1/2 of Allan’s e-trade account)
March 2023 – $300,000 interim legal fee award
In addition, Catherine received $330,000 from a 9/11 victims fund in 2022.
Bought Home for Her and Kids
On April 17, 2023, Catherine wired $646,417 from her Chase Bank account to purchase a new home at 51 Myrtle Blvd in Larchmont.
The house is listed as having 1450 square feet and is a 73-year-old, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home.
Records show she closed on the house the following day, paying $897,043 in cash.
Village of Larchmont
She bought a nearly $900,000 home for cash, one month and ten days before she announced her suicide. The house was 1.2 miles from her children’s home in Larchmont.
New Custody Report
Just days after Catherine purchased the home, Dr. Kathleen McKay presented a custody evaluation to the court. Allan paid for the report.
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Custody evaluator Kathleen McKay
Dr. McKay recommended the father have exclusive custody and that the children should have zero contact with their mother.
Dr. McKay echoed what Allan told her, ‘finding” that Catherine was intent on revenge, with the sole goal of “annihilating” him. In other words, she ‘found’ what the father who paid her wanted: a de facto termination of the mother’s parental rights.
Showed the Family Court system for what it is
Catherine had won some hard-fought legal rounds – getting several of Allan’s paid experts removed from the case.
Marc Abrams
She got custody evaluator Marc Abrams booted from the NYS court’s panel of approved evaluators and removed from the case.
Carol Most
Catherine got the biased attorney for the children, Carol Most, removed from her case and investigated for misconduct.
Catherine sued the children’s therapist Dr. Susan Adler for trying to convince her children they were better off motherless.
Gus Dimopoulus
Catherine sued Allan’s attorney, Constantine Gus Dimopoulus, for unethical conduct, including allegations that he engaged in a conspiracy to conceal sexual misconduct by Dr. Abrams
Catherine got Judge Jeffry Lubell disqualified for his outlandish behavior in court and his unconcealed bias against Catherine.
But it did not get her kids back.
Hard luck
Catherine Kassenoff
A combination of buying a new house for her and her children, hoping she would get shared custody, and living with them again, as their mother — then getting a one-sided custody report by an “expert” paid by the father, that she shouldn’t see her kids must have shocked her.
The custody evaluator never once saw Catherine with two of her children, yet said she shouldn’t see them – based on Allan’s word and meetings with the children with Allan present.
The termination of parental rights was adopted by Judge Susan Capeci. Then came a return of cancer, this time diagnosed as terminal.
That might have been enough to cause her to end the long battle with her husband, who she said spent more than $3 million to win custody of the children.
Allan took a leave of absence at his $1 million per year position as a latent lawyer for Greenberg Traurig after videos of him released on Frank Report, Facebook, and TikTok by Robbie Harvey show Allan verbally abusing Catherine in front of her children. Numerous media have reported the case since Catherine’s suicide post.
Out of an abundance of caution, FR will not conclude Catherine is deceased until we inspect the official death certificate.
