Ultimate Judgment : A Story of Emotional Corruption, Obsession and Betrayal [Paperback]

Meg Clairmonte (Author), Aurora Mackey (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

When millionaire shrimping magnate Donald Sahlman died of cancer in November 1992, his friends, family and business associates crowded into a church in Tampa, Florida to mourn a man who was gentle, generous and compassionate. But their benevolent image of Sahlman was about to be shattered. In a case that would shock all who knew him and set a legal precedent, Sahlman was put on trail and posthumously charged with the heinous sexual abuse of his stepdaughter.

This is a gripping story documented with actual court transcripts as Clairmonte details the sexual and emotional abuse she suffered at her stepfather's hands for twenty-five years. Perhaps even more shocking are Clairmonte's allegations against her own mother, who conspired in the abuse and even facilitated it, selling her daughter into sexual and emotional slavery for financial security. In this precedent-setting court case, Sahlman's estate was ordered to pay Meg Clairmonte $3 million. This riveting story is one of emotional corruption, obsession and betrayal at their darkest levels, but more importantly, it is the story of human courage, resilience and ultimate triumph.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1996, a Tampa jury made an unprecedented award to Clairmonte of $3 million in damages from her late wealthy stepfather Donald Sahlman's estate, because of the sexual abuse she had suffered at his hands when she was between the ages of four and 25. The jury also found that her mother (Sahlman's wife and heir) had conspired in the abuse. Coauthor Mackey, a journalist, competently narrates, in Clairmonte's voice, her stepfather's frightening and continuous sexual advances toward Clairmonte, who offers many appalling descriptions of sex play, including masturbation and oral contact that were forced on her. As she grew older, her mother, who insists that nothing untoward happened, and her stepfather examined her vaginally after every date to make sure she was still a virgin. Both supervised her bathing and constantly told her that her body had a bad odor. Even after she left home and married, Clairmonte remained an emotional prisoner to Sahlman's demands. Clairmonte's brother, Nick, who has had severe substance abuse problems, also alleged sexual abuse, but later retracted his accusation. The author believes that her mother allowed the abuse in exchange for financial security. This is a disturbing and compelling story; readers who have themselves suffered from sexual abuse will take comfort knowing that justice can be done. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A disturbing and compelling story. -- Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 465 pages
• Publisher: HCI (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558748318
• ISBN-13: 978-1558748316
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,284,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Heartfelt Moving Story, March 14, 2001

By 

Irene (Tampa, Fl United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Judgment : A Story of Emotional Corruption, Obsession and Betrayal (Paperback)

I read this book in one night. While I am not a survivor of sexual abuse, I had chills up and down my spine that made me feel so in touch with this child, as if it happened to me. This book takes you through the steps that this man, this animal, used to make a tiny child succumb to his wishes and deviant sexual appetites. How her "mother" could literally sell her own flesh and blood into sexual slavery is beyond me. I had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat all the way through from start to finish. I take my hat off to Meg for finally fighting back and winning a long uphill battle to get the justice that she deserved and make the world see that this "upstanding, wealthy, pillar of the community" was really a disgusting animal, and her mother, no more than a money hungry, selfish witch, only out to better herself. I wish her all the luck and happiness in the world, and hope that her story is told and retold to help all the other victims of sexual abuse come to terms with what happened to them. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where are the adults?, September 14, 2001

By 

Paula Kramer, Radio Talk Show Host (Nelsonville, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Judgment : A Story of Emotional Corruption, Obsession and Betrayal (Paperback)

Meg Clairmonte's book was painful for me to read because I had a childhood as horrifying as hers. It's been difficult for me to write a review because of the closeness in our experiences. However, I want to write one so more people understand. Meg's book reveals just how misjudged children can be when adults do not want to see. The adults in Meg's life did not want to see the control and abuse Donald Sahlman inflicted on Meg. To free themselves of all obligation to protect children, adults sometimes even blame children for situations the children cannot control. The children end up alone.
The same thing happened in my childhood. My mother tried to kill me. When the murder attempt failed, she did her best to kill me emotionally. Other children could see what was happening in my family, but adults refused to see. I ended up facing my murderer alone. I survived emotionally only because my father loved me, though he did nothing to protect me from my mother. Meg and I and the thousands of others like us wouldn't have to cope alone if adults would pay attention. We end up living alone with terrors adults are afraid to just look at.
After reading Meg's book, please let one child know they are valuable and deserve to be treated well. You may not be able to stop the abuse, but you can help the child.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gripping Memoir and Legal Mystery, February 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ultimate Judgment : A Story of Emotional Corruption, Obsession and Betrayal (Paperback)

This is one of the finest memoirs I've read in a long time, and anyone who bothers to actually read it will instantly know that. In many respects this story does read like fiction, but that is one of the book's many strengths. It's a page turner, and I couldn't put it down. Meg Clairmonte's true story is harrowing and shocking as she chronicles the 25 years of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her mulitmillionaire stepfather. The honesty with which she describes her terror of him--as well as her own mother, who essentially sold her daughter into sexual slavery in exchange for financial security--is astounding. Even more so, however, is the legal mystery aspect to this book. After her stepfather's death, Meg sues him and her mother in a Florida court. How will her lawyers prove this unspeakable crime and put a dead man on trial? This story will rivet you from the first chapter. It will speak to anyone who has ever been abused and hoped to ultimately see justice done. But it also will appeal to anyone who loves legal thrillers. Bravo!!