As a final “punishment” to her estranged husband for gaining custody of their three children, a mother’s decision to choose euthanasia at a suicide clinic in Switzerland to end her life has brought about new revelations.
Catherine Kassenoff publicly announced in a lengthy note on Facebook on May 23 last year that she would be ending her life.
“It is with a profound heartbreak, that I hope none of you ever experience, that I am writing my last post ever,” she wrote.
“Today, I will be ending my own life… There are simply no other options left. In the last four years of my life, I have woken up every day to a nightmare like no other.”
The 54-year-old, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the time, stated that she could “no longer endure the abuse and terror” inflicted by her husband, Allan Kassenoff.
The couple, both lawyers in New York City, spent four years attempting to divorce due to a brutal custody battle over their children.
Allan was awarded sole custody of their three daughters, and the terminally ill Catherine decided to end her life after losing visitation rights.
Her decision sparked widespread hatred toward Allan, with strangers sending him death threats and even tracking down his home to target him.
New details have emerged after The Free Press conducted an in-depth investigation into the circumstances of her death and spoke to those closest to the family.
Former nannies claimed Catherine had punished her adopted daughter by “dripping water” on her all day so she couldn’t sleep. She was also accused of treating her other children, who were born via IVF, far more favorably.
In addition to her Facebook post, Catherine also released videos of her husband and thousands of court documents via Dropbox.
One of the documents was written by UK-based former psychiatrist Colin Brewer, who noted in a report for the Pegasos Swiss Association that Catherine was of “sound enough mind” to end her life.
Unlike the Dignitas suicide clinic, Pegasos helps people who aren’t on the verge of death to end their lives.
Mr. Brewer revealed that Catherine had initially planned to kill herself twice before, with the original date in October 2022 postponed for administrative reasons.
“She was always very calm,” said Mr. Brewer, who had to rewrite medical reports for her each time. “She got naturally a bit exasperated when talking about her husband. She was very clear about what she wanted to do and why she wanted to do it.”
According to Mr. Brewer, Catherine’s cancer diagnosis was not the reason for ending her life, but rather an “existential assisted suicide.” He said, “She was just concerned that she had been treated abominably by her husband.”
Mr. Brewer did not make any medical diagnosis but reported that her choice to die was a result of “understandable misery.” His report claimed that Catherine had made extensive arrangements for her children to learn about her death in the least traumatic way possible. However, her adopted daughter Ally told The Free Press that she only found out about her mother’s imminent suicide from the Facebook post.
Ally was adopted by the Kassenoffs in July 2009 from a woman in Florida who was unable to care for her. The couple had been unable to conceive but later had two more daughters through IVF. However, nannies who worked with the family claimed Catherine intentionally abused Ally because she wasn’t her biological daughter.
Kim Hull, who worked for the family in 2009, claimed she was once instructed by Catherine to keep the baby awake all day by dripping water on her head. Kim said she was told to do it so Ally would sleep through the night but refused, calling it “abuse.”
On another occasion, Kim took Ally to the doctor after finding marks on her back that looked like they’d been caused by fingernails digging into her skin.
Ally’s alleged torment didn’t end there, according to au pair Celine Dublanchet, who started working for the family in 2016. Celine claimed that Ally was locked in a dark basement for two hours as punishment by Catherine when she was just seven years old.
Celine also recounted an incident where Ally was told to go outside alone at night to clean the garden in the middle of winter.
The adopted daughter was also forced to sleep on a mattress on the floor in her room, while her younger sisters slept in bed with their mother every night. Ally then had to make the bed every morning, according to Celine.
Celine described Allan as “very nice” but noted that he had a temper, which Catherine “pushed to his emotional limits.”
“She wanted the girls to see their father angry. She did it on purpose to turn the children against him,” Celine added.
When Celine’s visa expired and she had to return to her home in France, she said she even “wanted to take Ally with me because I felt so sad and bad for her.”
After Catherine’s note was published online, TikToker Robbie Harvey, who campaigns for women in abusive relationships, uploaded a number of the videos Catherine had shared of Allan. One video showed him getting annoyed and calling her a “fat old loser”, while he was heard telling Catherine he “hated” her in another video.
In other clips, Allan is allegedly heard screaming behind doors and shouting at the children to shut up before leaving the home and refusing to take care of them. One of their daughters can be seen crying in a video, saying that she “doesn’t want to go with that crazy guy.”
Catherine’s videos were removed from Facebook but had already been shared by Robert Harvey and seen by many of his three million TikTok followers. The abuse Allan suffered as a result forced him to quit his job after a leave of absence in June.
Allan later sued Harvey for sharing the clips, claiming they led to his emotional and financial ruin.
His attorneys stated: “With a few clicks of his keyboard and a video uploaded to TikTok, Defendant Robert Harvey financially destroyed Plaintiff Allan Kassenoff. And, even worse, irreparably harmed Mr. Kassenoff’s three young children by forcing them into a life where their identities will forever be associated with a bitter and ugly divorce and the suicide of their mother.”
Harvey’s followers reportedly bombarded the law firm where Allan worked with more than 500 phone calls and 7,000 emails, blaming him for Catherine’s suicide.
Allan sought more than $115 million in damages for his loss of earnings and destroyed his reputation. The case was settled last week for an undisclosed sum, according to MailOnline.
Recently, Harvey posted a nine-minute video apologizing to Allan for sharing the clips posted by Catherine, admitting that he “made some mistakes in the reporting” of their relationship.
“Catherine did not provide a complete record of what was happening. I echoed exactly what Catherine said,” Harvey added. “I wish I would have known the whole story at the time when I was reporting the Kassenoff case. But I did not. Now that more facts have been presented to me, I now see where I was wrong.”
Allan accepted Harvey’s apology but said the turmoil he suffered was what Catherine would have wanted.
“She set this all in motion,” he said. “Whether she got lucky with Harvey picking this up, or she coordinated with him, either way: this is her dream. Assuming she’s dead, her dying wish and goal was to still hurt me and the kids. It’s like she’s harassing me from beyond the grave.”
Amanda Davies is a seasoned lifestyle writer with over a decade of experience in capturing the essence of everyday living. Her passion lies in exploring diverse cultures, culinary arts, wellness trends, and travel adventures.
