A 23-year-old man is suing his former Spanish teacher for Massachusetts sexual abuse. The plaintiff, identified only as “John Doe,” says that Emily Parks, who used to be the principal at Westwood High School, and the school committee failed to protect him from Ashworth’s sexual advances.
According to the Massachusetts personal injury case, Ashworth, who is from Needham, became Doe’s Spanish teacher when he was a sophomore. Because he has a debilitating skin disorder, Doe was a special education student and often used a wheelchair.
He claims that Ashworth “groomed” him for the abuse by paying extra attention to him and giving him a higher grade. She became his study adviser and spent time with him outside class.
When Doe’s mother complained to Parks that Ashworth was texting her son at all hours and showed her the messages, the then-principal reportedly responded that Doe was the one instigating contact and he should stop. The school district’s attorney, however, said that Ashworth was suspended and Parks told the teacher to stop having “excessive contact with students.” Ashworth quit working at the school in 2009.
According to Doe’s Massachusetts sexual abuse lawyer, during the relationship between the plaintiff and defendant, Ashworth gave his client, Valium, Oxycodone, and Atavan to alleviate the pain he experienced because of his condition. In return she requested sexual favors.
In 2011, Doe was arrested because Ashworth accused him of stealing pills and assaulting her. Doe contends that she called the cops because he wouldn’t give in to her sexual demands.
Unfortunately, Massachusetts sex abuse and sexual assault can happen in schools. According to the Associated Press in 2007, over a five-year period there were over 2,500 cases involving educators who were punished for sexual misconduct. In many of these incidents, the victims were students.
If your son or daughter was a victim of rape, molestation, or sexual assault in school or on campus, please contact our Boston sex abuse lawyers today. You may be able to pursue Massachusetts personal injury damages from the assailant, as well as from others who could have but failed to prevent the abuse from happening.
Former student accuses Westwood High teacher of sex abuse, The Herald News, May 6, 2014
Lawsuit alleges Westwood teacher sexually abused special needs student, MyFoxBoston, May 6, 2014
Sexual Misconduct Plagues US Schools, The Washington Post/AP, October 21, 2007
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Clergy Sex Abuse: Pope Benedict Defrocked Almost 400 Priests in Two Years, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 18, 2014
Measure Would Give Victims of Massachusetts Sex Abuse Lawsuits Until Age 55 to Sue for Personal Injury, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, May 8, 2013
Officials Believe Clamp is to Blame for Providence, RI Circus Accident, Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Blog, May 5, 2014