ANONYMOUS ACCUSATIONS BRING LAWSUIT

How's this for a frightening story? A single mother of four children in Connecticut has been fingered as a child abuser five times by anonymous callers to the states hot line. She was accused of beating and starving her children, using drugs in front of them and leaving them alone.

All of the charges proved false after they were investigated.

This is the nightmare of any parent. In particular, it seems such accusations are too often used in domestic disputes where child custody is at stake.

"Can you imagine how humiliating this is?" asked the woman, who has gone to court to challenge the state law that gives accusers complete anonymity, even when they provide false information.

This is the same law most states with abuse hot lines work under. The success of most hot lines is based, as least in part, on the ability to tell authorities about abuse without having to get involved personally. In fact, most hot lines have no way of determining who is making the complaint.

So what is a wrongfully accused parent to do? The woman in Connecticut believes her lawsuit is a first step. Many other parents who believe they have been targets of false reports will be watching the outcome of this case very carefully.