MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors of Student Sexual Abuse in Public & Private MA Schools

Sexual abuse in Massachusetts schools is often underreported due to the immense barriers victims face. Coming forward requires an extensive support system to navigate the emotional trauma and the legal complexities. These institutional failures frequently leave children to suffer in silence while predatory staff remain in positions of authority.

Learn about alleged sexual abuse in Massachusetts schools and your legal rights. If you or a loved one was harmed, contact us today.

Sex Abuse Scandals in Massachusetts Schools

• In December 2023, a report revealed that at least 75 school personnel in Massachusetts had faced criminal charges or lawsuits since 2002 for sexually abusing students. These cases allegedly involved staff members engaging in physical sexual contact, sending explicit messages, or taking explicit images of children. In at least 11 instances, staff members were charged in 2022 and 2023 alone. Specific allegations included abuse occurring in classrooms, school closets, basement areas, and vehicles.

One survivor from a school in southeastern Massachusetts alleged that in the 1990s, an administrator groomed her by pulling her out of the cafeteria for private lunches in his office. The abuse allegedly progressed from the administrator pressuring her to sit on his lap to forced oral sex. 

In another instance in 2022, a music teacher at Auburn Public Schools named Stephen Jaszek was sentenced to prison for allegedly repeatedly raping a fourth-grade student in a classroom during school hours. The victim in that case was later awarded a $6 million judgment in a lawsuit against the Town of Auburn and Auburn Schools.

Recent arrests and lawsuits highlighted several other specific instances of abuse at Massachusetts schools:

• • In Wareham, a custodian was allegedly caught on video groping a 16-year-old student in a closet at Wareham High School.
  • In Springfield, a science teacher at New Leadership Charter School was accused of using a volleyball club as a cover to sexually abuse a student.
  • In Lowell, an athletic trainer at Lowell High School was accused of victimizing female students during medical treatments.
  • In Salem, a physical education teacher at Saltonstall School was accused of sexually abusing 12 elementary school girls in hallways and during gym classes.

While at least seven of those lawsuits remained pending, several others resulted in settlements. 

Investigation findings indicated that at least 57 students were abused in cases that resulted in criminal sentences or civil settlements. The perpetrators held various positions, including dean of students, guidance counselors, and school resource officers.

Other examples of alleged abuse, and of conditions likely to lead to abuse in other schools, include the following:

STEM Middle Academy (Springfield)

• In January 2026, it was reported that the City of Springfield agreed to pay more than $14 million to settle two federal lawsuits involving allegations that Robert Gayle, a teacher at STEM Middle Academy, groomed and sexually abused students.

One lawsuit, settled for $13 million, involved a seventh-grade student who was allegedly raped repeatedly by Gayle in empty school classrooms over a period of nearly two years.

In a separate case that was settled for 1.8 million dollars, another seventh-grade student was allegedly subjected to grooming and assault.

The school administration allegedly failed to investigate or report the matter to authorities as required by law. 

Hayes School (Brookline)

• In January 2026, it was reported that Brookline and its school district agreed to a $3 million settlement with a former student who alleged she was sexually abused at the Hayes School by sixth-grade social studies teacher Larry Chen between 2016 and 2018.

Josiah Quincy Upper School (Boston)

• In December 2025, former Josiah Quincy Upper School teacher John Magee Gavin pleaded guilty to federal charges of child exploitation.

Before teaching at Josiah Quincy, Gavin was a teacher at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park and a paraprofessional at the Hayes School in Brookline.

He allegedly used a Discord account to message at least 20 girls aged 12 to 17. He allegedly identified himself as a teacher to these minors, engaged in sexual conversations, and solicited sexually explicit images.

Investigators reportedly found approximately 94 photos and 53 videos depicting child sexual abuse material.

Boylston Elementary School (Boston)

• In December 2025, Benjamin and Peter Dillman, two staff members at Boylston Elementary School who were brothers, were arrested and arraigned on charges of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14. 

Benjamin, a fifth-grade teacher, allegedly touched four female students inappropriately or had them touch him, and he was also accused of engaging a male student in an unwanted hug and massage. 

Peter, a paraprofessional at the school, was allegedly caught on security footage placing his pubic area against the front and back of a female student while holding her hips. 

Miss Hall’s School (Pittsfield)

• In November 2025, it was reported that despite multiple, substantiated allegations of sexual abuse perpetrated by Matthew Rutledge against students at Miss Hall’s School, Massachusetts’s consent law barred criminal prosecution of Rutledge, at least for now.

• In August 2025, Miss Hall’s School released a retained law firm’s independent 60-page report that substantiated allegations that Rutledge had abused five girls over 20 years and described allegations of sexual misconduct against students by former employees from the 1940s through the 2010s.

According to the report, Rutledge was connected to five firsthand accounts of sexual misconduct involving alleged grooming behavior, sexual advances, sexual touching, and alleged forcible oral and vaginal intercourse between the 1990s and 2010.

One former student alleged Rutledge had sexual contact and intercourse with her multiple times during her junior and senior years.

Another former student alleged that Rutledge pulled her into his classroom, gave her a letter and gift, hugged her for a long time, kissed her goodbye, and told her he loved her. The same student alleged Rutledge later had vaginal and oral intercourse with her.

Another former student told investigators she did not report the alleged behavior because Rutledge often threatened that he would kill himself.

A different former student alleged Rutledge made her believe she would be kicked out of Miss Hall’s and not get into college if she reported him.

In the 1990s, Miss Hall’s allegedly severely disciplined a senior student after she told peers that Rutledge was having sex with international students. 

In May 2024, four more former students had notified school leadership and authorities about alleged abuse connected to Rutledge.

The investigation found that seven other past Miss Hall’s employees had allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct toward students. One faculty member in the 1990s was terminated for alleged sexual misconduct. Another teacher in the 2000s was accused of alleged grooming behavior and inappropriate physical contact, including rubbing one student’s shoulders and touching another student’s upper leg. In the 1980s, an alumna reportedly woke up naked in a college adviser’s bed after drinking at his house with no memory of what happened.

• In October 2024, a former student filed a lawsuit alleging that Rutledge groomed her and had sex with her.

Cohasset Middle School (Cohasset)

• In October 2025, Jeffrey Knight, former teacher at Cohasset Middle School, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two students. 

Knight allegedly had a prior conviction for a similar assault against a student in 2021.

He allegedly rubbed his hand up and down a student’s thigh. In another instance, he allegedly slid his hand up a student’s dress to touch her side and breast. He allegedly frequently approached young girls from behind to press his body against them. 

Brockton High School (Brockton)

• In August 2025, Matthew Cunningham, choir teacher at Brockton High School, was arrested after being accused of alleged sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old student. 

Prosecutors alleged that he used a mobile app to arrange and pay for a meeting with the victim, whom he then drove to his residence to engage in sexual contact.

Williams Middle School and Glenbrook Middle School (Longmeadow)

• In August 2025, Scott McGinley, a librarian at Williams Middle School and Glenbrook Middle School within the Longmeadow Public Schools was arrested and charged with distributing child pornography. 

A forensic search of his phone allegedly revealed more than 100 files of child sexual abuse material. 

During conversations with undercover law enforcement, he allegedly stated a preference for boys between the ages of 2 and 12, specifically those between 4 and 7 years old. He also allegedly strategically seated boys he found attractive close to him and in positions where he could see under their desks.

Deerfield Academy (Deerfield)

• In June 2025, Deerfield Academy reached a low six-figure settlement with a victim who alleged he was sexually abused by teacher Peter Hindle. 

The victim alleged that Hindle sexually abused him approximately 15 times between 1977 and 1979 when he was between 15 and 17 years old. 

The school also settled several other sexual abuse claims against the same teacher, including a settlement in 2023. 

Additionally, Deerfield Academy reached a separate settlement in 2023 involving athletics department member Norman Therien. 

Salem Academy Charter School (Salem)

• In July 2024, Darren Benedick, a gym and health teacher at Salem Academy Charter School, was arrested after allegedly attempting to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex. 

In a conversation with an undercover agent posing as the girl, he sent an obscene image and arranged to meet for sexual activities. 

Boston College High School (Boston)

• In June 2024, a Suffolk County grand jury indicted former Boston College High School theology teacher and Jesuit priest Kevin White for the alleged rape and abuse of a student at the school between 2008 and 2009.

Concord High School (Concord) and Fessenden School (Newton)

• In July 2022, the Concord School District reached settlements totaling over $1.5 million with two former students regarding allegations of sexual abuse by former teacher Howie Leung at Concord High School and the Fessenden School in Newton.

In February 2022, a 21-year-old former student received a $1 million payout to resolve claims of sexual assault and negligence at Concord High School, where witnesses reportedly Leung kissing the student in a vehicle. 

Previously, in February 2020, a $545,000 settlement was awarded to a student who alleged Leung repeatedly sexually assaulted her during a summer program at the Fessenden School in Newton, Massachusetts, when she was 13 and 14 years old.

LK is Investigating Sexual Abuse Claims in Massachusetts Schools

Levy Konigsberg is investigating cases of sexual abuse and assault that occurred at Massachusetts schools. You may have a potential claim if you were sexually abused in any of the following schools:

• New Leadership Charter School (Springfield)
• Lowell High School (Lowell)
• Saltonstall School (Salem)
• STEM Middle Academy (Springfield)
• Hayes School (Brookline)
• Josiah Quincy Upper School (Boston)
• Boylston Elementary School (Boston)
• Miss Hall’s School (Pittsfield)
• Cohasset Middle School (Cohasset)
• Brockton High School (Brockton)
• Williams Middle School and Glenbrook Middle School (Longmeadow)
• Deerfield Academy (Deerfield)
• Salem Academy Charter School (Salem)
• Boston College High School (Boston)
• Concord High School (Concord) and Fessenden School (Newton)

Do I Have a Case?

You may have grounds to file a civil legal action if:

• You were sexually abused by a teacher or staff at a school.
• The abuse occurred at any school.

Levy Konigsberg represents survivors in civil lawsuits that aim to hold schools accountable for their failures to stop abusive teachers and staff.

As civil claims, these cases are separate from any criminal proceedings that may arise from abuse and focus instead on holding institutions liable for damages. This means you may still have a claim even if:

• Your abuser is no longer alive.
• Your abuser was never charged with or convicted of a crime.

Recoverable Damages in Sexual Abuse Claims

In addition to providing accountability and a sense of justice, civil sex abuse lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for their damages, which may include:

• Past medical and mental health expenses
• Future mental health expenses, including therapy, medications, etc.
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish and psychological harm
• Lost income
• Other economic and non-economic damages

Massachusetts Sexual Abuse Attorneys

In 2015, Massachusetts lawmakers passed groundbreaking legislation to greatly expand the rights of child sexual abuse survivors. Specifically, these legislative amendments gave survivors, whom research has shown can take years or decades to process their abuse and its resulting impact on their lives, far more time to file civil lawsuits than what was previously provided for under the law.

Claims against abusers

Under current Massachusetts law (Chapter 260 § 4C), survivors of child sexual abuse must file civil claims against their abuser within 35 years of the final act of abuse or within 7 years of discovering that they suffered damages as a result of their abuse, whichever is later.

There are two important facts about the law and its application in child sexual abuse cases:

• The statute of limitations can be “tolled” until child victims turn 18, which means that survivors have 35 years from the date they turn 18 to file civil claims.
• The statute contains a “delayed discovery” provision allowing child victims to file claims within 7 years of discovering that they suffered damages due to their abuse. This means that victims may still be eligible to file civil lawsuits even if it has been more than 35 years since their abuse, provided they had not previously discovered the connection between their abuse and resulting damages, which may include addiction, anxiety, depression, and other emotional and psychological injuries.

Claims against others, including organizations responsible for the abuse

A separate Massachusetts law governs claims against persons or entities other than the abuser, such as the operator of a facility who allowed the abuse to occur. Under this law, survivors of child sexual abuse that occurred after June 2014 may file civil claims against persons or entities other than the abuser within 35 years of the final act of abuse. 

The “delayed discovery” rule allowing survivors to file within 7 years of discovering that they suffered damages due to their abuse applies the same as in claims against abusers.

Massachusetts’ current statute of limitations for child sexual abuse survivors provides far more time for survivors to take legal action than the previous law, but advocates and some lawmakers are still pushing to eliminate the statute of limitations entirely in child sexual abuse cases. There is currently a proposed bill (S.1038) that is making its way through the state Legislature that would do just that.

Determining the statute of limitations that applies to your sexual abuse case against a Massachusetts school can be challenging, which is why it is best to bring your matter to the attention of an experienced lawyer.

We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and seeking justice for survivors of sexual abuse in schools. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing legal representation and support to survivors, and we are actively investigating allegations of abuse. We are working tirelessly to ensure that survivors have access to justice and that future generations of young people are safe from harm within these institutions.