Cite as 288 F.Supp.2d 544 (S.D.N.Y. 2003)
of a spiritual nature. When Schucman experienced some personal difficulties and hesitance after hearing the “inner voice,” Thetford contacted Cayce to seek his advice and counsel, and Schucman met with Cayce before she began to record the Course. Both she and Thetford found him to be very supportive in respect to the psychic and spiritual experiences that were making her so uncomfortable. Schucman and Thetford provided Cayce with a copy of an earlier version of the manuscript and solicited his feedback, and they wrote in a November 18, 1970 letter to Cayce, “We look forward to any further comments or suggestions which you may wish to offer, individually or collectively.” (Def.Ex. D) Cayce’s copy of the manuscript has been maintained in a locked room at the A.R.E. and was not made available to the general public.
Father Benedict Groeschel (“Groeschel”) is a former priest, then a member of a Franciscan order, who had a doctorate in psychology, had studied under Thetford, had worked with Schucman at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center Psychiatric Institute, and had an established interest in the relationship between mysticism or spirituality and psychology. He was given a copy of the Work in 1973. Groeschel testified that he was instructed by Schucman not to distribute the manuscript. Notwithstanding, he discussed it and made it available to Dr. Kenneth Wapnick (“Wapnick”). It was apparent to Groeschel that Schueman and Thetford did not desire that the manuscript be widely disseminated. He complied with their instructions not to give the manuscript to anyone. (Tr. 10, 58).
Calvin Hatcher (“Hatcher”), the administrative vice-president at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, was a very close friend of Schucman and Thetford and received the manuscript, probably in 1973. (Tr. 379–380). It was assumed that he treated it as confidential, making no copies of the manuscript and not showing it to anyone.
Reverend Jon Mundy (“Mundy”) was a Methodist minister interested in “new age” spirituality, and he was planning a doctoral dissertation on psychotherapy and spirituality. He received a copy of the manuscript from Schucman and Thetford sometime in 1974, and he “was told in no uncertain terms not to show that to anyone.” (Tr. 381).
Wapnick was a clinical psychologist, who between 1967 and 1972, directed a school for disturbed children and served as chief psychologist at Harlem Valley State Hospital. As a result of a religious conversion, in 1972 Wapnick sought to become a monk and, to accomplish that end, abandoned his Jewish faith and sought to become a Catholic. His conversion, reported to Groeschel, interested the latter, and they met. Wapnick had published an article about mysticism and schizophrenia, the thesis of which was that mystics are not schizophrenics and schizophrenics are not mystics. Groeschel arranged for an introduction of Wapnick to Schucman and Thetford in November 1972.
In May of 1973, after a trip to Israel, Wapnick went to the private offices of Schucman and Thetford and reviewed a portion of the manuscript. He was provided with a copy of the manuscript containing some 1,500 8 1/2 x 11 pages. Wapnick also testified that:
I’m not sure if it was a direct statement, but it certainly was implicit that this was not to be shown to anybody. I knew that very, very well. This was not something I was going to tell people about. Iwas not going to tell my family or my friends about [it].
(Tr. 374–376).
Wapnick recommended editorial changes and reviewed the manuscript dur-
