NBC News mentioned Molly Mason Jones Chair in Psychology and Professor of Psychology Stacey Wood in a shocking story of a Los Angeles couple who survived a chimp mauling only to be financially exploited out of thousands in the wake of their recovery by a colleague. The wife, who survived her partner, ultimately accepted a settlement rather than bringing criminal charges against her abuser.
Wood, who has done extensive research on financial elder abuse, commented on the situation. “It’s really frustrating. If somebody kicked in a door, took a bunch of stuff and left, the police would have no trouble charging him,” she says. “Not prosecuting…leaves the criminals free to look for new victims.”