Ex-student Alleges Sexual Abuse by Private School Teacher

Associated Press
December 8, 2020

https://apnews.com/article/rhode-island-lawsuits-sexual-abuse-93a90e278b6af659bd6e3bf9f2676066

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (AP) — A former student at a private Rhode Island school has sued the school and a former teacher, alleging the teacher sexually abused her and the school did not do enough to protect her.

The former Portsmouth Abbey School student, listed as Jane Doe in court documents, alleges in the federal suit filed earlier this month she was sexually abused by the teacher between 2012 and 2014 starting when she was 15 years old.

The teacher was in his 40s, according to The Newport Daily News.

The Catholic school is a defendant because it “failed to take any measures to investigate and put an end to the misconduct and protect its young student,” the lawsuit says.

“The school then engaged in a coverup to avoid scandal,” the student’s attorneys said in a statement Tuesday. “And, to top things off, the school steered the victim to a law firm that represented the Catholic Church, in a scheme designed to prevent the victim from filing a timely lawsuit against the school.”

The teacher and student exchanged hundreds of emails, some of which were sexually explicit, according to The Boston Globe, which reviewed some of them.

The school’s assistant headmaster referred questions to the school’s attorney. An email seeking comment was left with that attorney.