CARMEL (IN)
WTHR 13 [Indianapolis, IN]
June 15, 2026
By Aaliyah McFadden
Key takeaways
- An Indiana family is suing The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, Inc for allegedly failing to protect their son from months of bullying, sexual harassment, physical assault, and threats of sexual violence by fellow students at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School in Carmel, Indiana.
- The bullying began in the 2024–2025 school year when the child was in seventh grade, escalated in the 2025–2026 school year, and included sexual threats towards the victim’s 10-year-old sister, leading to a decline in the child’s mental health and diagnosis of anxiety and severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Despite the parents reporting the incidents to the school, law enforcement, and the Department of Child Services, the school allegedly failed to take meaningful intervention, leading to the child being withdrawn from the school without notice and the offending students being allowed to switch schools, prompting the family to file a lawsuit seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
An Indiana family is suing The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, Inc for allegedly failing to protect their son after months of escalated bullying, sexual harassment, physical assault, and graphic threats of sexual violence by fellow students went unaddressed.
This took place at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School located at 14596 Oak Ridge Rd, in Carmel, Indiana.
According to court documents, the bullying began in the 2024–2025 school year when the child was in seventh grade. A student began verbally harassing the boy, calling him names and making fun of him for being a vegetarian. The harassment escalated.
According to the lawsuit, when the victim entered the eighth grade during the 2025–2026 school year, the harassment intensified and became sexual in nature. Students began to make fun of his genitally, call him slurs and detail sexual acts they would perform on him. The documents say they would do this loudly in the lunchroom in front of other students and repeatedly threatened to pull down his pants.
According to documents, the bullying intensified around Nov. 17, 2025, when the boy was physically attacked by students in the locker room during school hours. A student allegedly pinned him down while another student attempted to pull down the victim’s pants. He resisted and escaped. No school employee intervened, according to documents.
Targeting the victim’s little sister
The bullying and harassment continued when they began to make sexual threats towards the boys 10-year-old sister, according to the lawsuit. The threats included alleged sex crimes against the 10-year-old.
According to the documents, the boy’s demeanor and performance began to change. Documents say a previously a kind, high achieving student became dysregulated, irritable, and withdrawn. At least two of the child’s teachers observed and reported these changes to the parents.
The harassment continued into December when a student pulled down the victim’s shorts and underwear during gym class, exposing him to the class of both male and female students, the court documents said. No adult was supervising the gym class, but it was captured on the school’s security cameras.
The child reported the bullying to the Defendant Principal on or about Dec. 9, 2025. Documents say, instead of providing meaningful intervention, the Defendant Principal allegedly minimized the conduct. After the parents emailed the principal with their concerns, he met with them and assured them that he would impose the most severe discipline available and that the child would be safe.
The students remained in the child’s classes and bullying escalated, despite the reassurance, according to the documents.
Parents contact the authorities
The parents then reported the bullying, physical attacks, and sexual threats to law enforcement. Documents say the school failed to report any of these incidents to the Indiana Department of Child Services or to law enforcement, despite school staff witnessing the conduct and school administrators receiving reports of it.
The parents emailed the child’s teachers and the priest who oversees the school. Documents say upon meeting, the priest dismissed concerns and included statements of “boys will be boys” and that they were “joking around.”
The child then began completing the semester through remote learning. The parents obtained mental health treatment for the child, whose condition continued to decline.
On Dec. 17, he child’s therapist made a report to the Department of Child Services after hearing his account. On Jan. 7, 2026, a second therapist independently did the same a few weeks later, according to the documents.
The boy was diagnosed with anxiety and severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
In Jan. 2026, without notice to the child or his parents, the school withdrew the child from the school. The family discovered only when his online learning account was deactivated.
The diocese then permitted the offending students to switch schools to Guerin Catholic High School, blocking the victim from enrolling there.
According to documents, several other families have had similar experiences, and the school has demonstrated a pattern of failing to protect students, tolerating abuse, and failing to discipline offenders.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, which operates the school, is being sued for the following according to court documents:
- Negligence
- Negligent supervision, retention, and training
- Negligent infliction of emotional distress
- Intentional infliction of emotional distress
The family is requesting compensatory and punitive damages. They also demand a jury trial.
13News reached out to the diocese, which shared the following response:
“Yes, the diocese is aware that a civil lawsuit has been brought against Our Lady of Mount Carmel School. Diocesan leadership takes seriously the safety and well-being of all our students and their families.
Because the legal process is ongoing, and out of respect for all parties involved, no additional comments will be made at this time. We ask the community for continued prayers and appreciate their patience as this matter proceeds.”