Boston Injury Lawyer Blog
A former Andover, MA student is suing Pike School, Groton School, and staff at the two schools for Boston personal injury. The plaintiff, who is now in his 30’s, claims that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female teacher. He believes that staff at the two schools behaved negligently in that they failed to notice and prevent the teacher, Judith Elefante, from acting with him the way she did.
In his Boston sexual abuse case, the alleged victim says that the sexual relationship with Elefante began at Pike School and went on while he attended Groton School (and also, later in college). He claims that Elefante took advantage of his self-confidence and dependency problems and assaulted, raped, and battered him. The plaintiff says that because of the alleged sexual abuse, he stopped going to school and suffered serious permanent emotional and physical injuries.
Sexual Abuse and Emotional Injuries
Sexual abuse can have serious, permanent emotional consequences for victims. Such trauma may manifest itself immediately or even years later-depending on each person’s reaction to the violating and disturbing event. For example, some sex abuse victims may suppress the memory of what happened to them and it may not be until much later in life that what they remember manifests itself into trauma.
Emotional Effects of Sexual Abuse Can Include/Lead to:
• Post traumatic stress disorder • Sleeping disorders • Dissociative Identity disorder • Self-harm • Drug abuse • Alcoholism
• Depression • Suicide • Flashbacks • Eating disorders • Borderline personality disorder • Intimacy issues • Anger issues • Trust issues • Shame related to sex and the body
Sexual abuse is a form of Massachusetts personal injury that can be grounds for compensation from the liable party. In addition to the abuser, other potential liable parties may include those that allowed the abuse to happen or could/ should have known the sex abuse was taking place and done something to stop it, the owner of the property where the sex abuse/assault happened, and/or the party that was charge of supervising a victim at the time that the abuse occurred.
The state is aware that sex abuse can be a very complex issue and that sometimes a victim may need years to remember/grapple with/summon up the courage to report what happened. The law allows for certain kinds of civil cases to submitted years after the actual abuse incidents transpired.
Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed Against Pike School, Staff, Andover Patch, March 20, 2013
More Blog Posts:
Clergy Sex Abuse Returns to the Spotlight with Pope Benedict’s Resignation and the Wait for His Successor, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, March 6, 2013
Beverly, Massachusetts Sexual Abuse Allegations Continue Against Landmark School, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 16, 2013
Boy Scouts Concealed Child Sex Abuse, Reports LA Times, Boston Injury Lawyers Blog, September 18, 2012
