moved to New York, the slain victim's sister filed suit against the police chief. The case utilized the 1789 Alien Tort Claims Act to categorize freedom from torture as a human rights norm as well as a part of the laws of the United States. On July 30, 1980, a federal appeals court in New York ruled that the family had the right to sue for damages. This was, incidentally, the same day that Harris v. McRae was decided. Personal life After losing Harris v. McRae, Copelon and friends hand-built a home on Long Island which served as a recuperation destination for other feminist activists. Copelon was married to David Shoenbrod. Death After a four-year fight against ovarian cancer, Copelon died at her home in Manhattan at the age of 65. In 2012, Catherine Albisa donated the Rhonda Copelon papers to the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College Special Collections. Her papers include "Legal documents and research, correspondence, teaching materials, published writings, panel presentations, notes, and audio and video recordings documenting Copelon's legal activism and teaching. Major topics include reproductive rights, domestic violence, international women's rights, AIDS legislation." References External links Rhonda Copelon papers at the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College Special Collections 1944 births 20th-century American lawyers American women legal scholars 2010 deaths American legal scholars People from New Haven, Connecticut Bryn Mawr College alumni Yale Law School alumni Queens College, City University of New York faculty 20th-century American women lawyers 21st-century American women