LYNN, Mass. — A Lynn Public Schools teacher has filed a civil lawsuit against her employer, claiming she was sexually assaulted by a colleague who was previously found not guilty of assaulting a student.
The lawsuit alleges that the school failed to take prompt action to investigate sexual harassment and assault complaints and allowed the individual to continue working in the same building.
The alleged assailant had previously been found not guilty of assaulting a student in a 2017 case.
The complaint, which is seeking $500,000 in damages and was filed on May 7, claims that the teacher and the alleged assailant—both working at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute—began communicating after she filed a grievance with the union requesting leave following an injury sustained from a student.
According to the complaint, the two agreed that the alleged assailant would briefly stop by her home so she could draft a document on her personal computer, and that he would not stay long.
When the alleged assailant arrived, he allegedly asked if he could make drinks for both of them. The complaint states that the victim had not consumed alcohol that day, but after taking one sip of the drink he prepared, she remembers nothing further.
The complaint further states that she woke up around 3 a.m., face down and naked in her bed, with the alleged assailant standing next to her, asking if she could perform a sex act on him. When she refused, the assailant allegedly said, “I am going to be coming around here a lot more, so you are going to have to learn.”
The victim is described in the complaint that she was confused, terrified, and repulsed. She was only conscious for a few minutes before blacking out again and waking up the next day at 10 a.m. The alleged assailant was gone, and she reported a distinct taste in her mouth and feeling hungover.
The complaint also states that the alleged assailant sent her a text message with a heart emoji around 4 a.m. while she was unconscious.
A couple of days later, after she ignored his messages, he allegedly appeared at her home with flowers and a card, but she refused to speak with him or let him inside.
He left the flowers and card at the front door. The card stated he was “thinking about her” and that he was “sorry.”
The victim allegedly preserved the drink she was given and, with the assistance of a Precision Engineering teacher at Lynn Tech, conducted an at-home testing kit purchased from Amazon, which allegedly tested positive for Rohypnol, GHB, and Ketamine.
The teacher reported the sexual assault to the Nahant Police Department, and the Essex County District Attorney requested expedited drug testing of the drink. However, due to testing delays, it was ultimately determined that it was too late to detect substances.
Six weeks after learning of the sexual harassment and assault, according to the complaint, Lynn Public Schools sent the teacher a letter notifying her of her right to file a formal complaint, which she said, “demonstrated Lynn Public Schools’ failure to understand the gravity of the situation.”
Since the alleged assault, the complaint states the victim has had ongoing difficulties in her daily life and has been forced “forced to user her accumulated sick time to maintain income during her recovery.”
The complaint further states that Lynn Public Schools did hire someone to investigate months later, but concluded that the alleged assailant had done nothing wrong.
Boston 25 has reached out to both Lynn Public Schools and the Essex County District Attorney’s office for comment on the lawsuit and is awaiting a response.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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