Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Rabbi Avremi Zippel said for the first time since April he is no longer waiting for a court decision in his abuse case, as the Utah Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal from the woman found guilty of sexually abusing him while his nanny.
"In 44 bruising pages, (the judges) struck down any justification to overturn the jury's verdict, and closed the door once and for all," he said on social media.
Alavina Fungaihea Florreich appealed her conviction, claiming her attorney was not effective during her trial. But the Utah Court of Appeals, in an opinion written by Judge Ryan D. Tenny, unanimously affirmed the convictions.
"We ultimately see this as a difficult case that presented counsel with difficult strategic choices. But we see no basis for reversing her convictions," the opinion said.
On Friday, the Utah Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the decision of the 3rd District Court, and dismissed any claims on my abuser's part.
In 44 bruising pages, they struck down any justification to overturn the jury's verdict, and closed the door once and for all
🧵 pic.twitter.com/Uh4MsjnOUQ— Avremi Zippel (@UtahRabbi) January 22, 2024
Florreich is a Tongan immigrant who was hired as a nanny for Rabbi Zippel and his siblings from 1998 to 2009.
A jury in November 2019 found Florreich guilty of five counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, and two counts of forcible sex abuse, a second-degree felony. She was sentenced to 25 years and up to life in the Utah State Prison.
Rabbi Zippel told police he had between 100 and 200 sexual encounters with Florreich. He did not report the abuse to anyone else until 2016 after watching a show depicting abuse from a nanny and realizing children cannot consent to sexual activity with adults. He began seeing a therapist and later reported what happened to his family and officers.
Police set up a recorded call between Rabbi Zippel and Florreich, where she repeatedly agreed they had sexual contact. In an interview with police later, she backtracked the conversation, according to the opinion.
At the trial, Rabbi Zippel said he felt intense religious guilt and became secretive during those years.
The opinion pointed out efforts Florreich's attorney made during trial, including highlighting discrepancies in testimony, pointing out the detective's interrogation technique, and suggesting Rabbi Zippel wanted to become a public figure to speak about sexual abuse.
