PARAMUS (NJ)
NJ.com [Iselin, NJ]
February 24, 2026
By Rebecca Heath
A Bergen County man says Paramus Catholic High School and church officials failed to stop an employee who sexually abused him there 40 years ago.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Essex County Superior Court, is the third in recent months alleging abuse by former gym teacher and coach Bernard Garris.
The suit was filed against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, the Brothers of the Christian Schools and Paramus Catholic High School.
It claims Garris “engaged in a calculated series of manipulation, grooming, and abuse,” and that the defendants failed to properly supervise employees or implement sufficient policies to protect students.
The complaint further alleges that school and church officials knew or should have known about Garris’ conduct but failed to stop it.
“My client believes that other coaches, teachers and Christian brothers were aware and witnessed some of the conduct that Garris was doing to these young boys at the school, but didn’t reprimand him, didn’t act, didn’t stop him from doing those things,” Gabriel Magee, the attorney for the alleged victim, said.
Maria Margiotta, a spokesperson for the archdiocese, said the organization doesn’t comment on ongoing lawsuits.
The Brothers of the Christian Schools and Paramus Catholic High School did not return requests for comment Tuesday.
The alleged abuse occurred during the 1985 to 1986 school year, when the unnamed former student was a minor.
Garris was fired for physically abusing students in 1987 and died in 2016.
According to the suit, the sexual abuse occurred repeatedly during football practices, which took place several times a week.
In one instance described in the complaint, Garris, who coached the football team, said he needed to “size” him for an athletic cup and took him into an equipment room alone. Garris then allegedly instructed him to undress to his jockstrap before touching him inappropriately.
The lawsuit says Garris went on to sexually abuse the student under the guise of “cup checks” roughly 16 times over four months, in the locker room and on the field.
The suit also alleges Garris showered with the former student and other teammates, all of whom were minors, at least twice a week during football season. In those instances, Garris would bring a chair into the communal showering area and sit naked while watching the players shower, according to the complaint.
In addition to the alleged assault during football practice, the suit claims Garris sexually abused the student multiple times per week during school hours while serving as his gym teacher. According to the complaint, Garris would inappropriately touch him, and at times other students, while they were exercising during class.
The complaint also mentions repeated instances of physical and emotional abuse.
During football practices, Garris would allegedly whip the student and his teammates with a whistle, repeatedly tackle him, and withhold water for extended periods of time. He also fostered an environment of emotional abuse and hazing within the team, the complaint says.
According to the lawsuit, while the former student knew Garris’ conduct was inappropriate at the time, he was too ashamed and too scared to report it.
The former student says he has endured severe emotional distress, trauma, depression, anxiety and other lasting effects.
At least 20 other former students have come forward, according to the complaint.
Numerous other lawsuits have been filed. Two suits filed in December 2025 and January also alleged sexual abuse by Garris. The December suit also named former gym teacher Donn Ernst as an abuser.
A 2019 New Jersey law extended the amount of time sexual abuse victims have to file a civil suit to the age of 55 or seven years after making “the discovery” connecting their emotional and psychological injury to the abuse.