PITTSBURGH – A former student of St. Bernard School has sued the school, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and an unidentified John Doe, claiming Doe sexually assaulted him as a youth.
The identity of both Doe and the plaintiff, who is called AYG in the complaint, have been concealed to protect their privacies. At the time of the alleged assaults, the plaintiff was a student and John Doe worked for the school as a teacher.
According to the compliant, the defendant began assaulting him during after-school tutor sessions.
“John Doe used the guise of tutoring the plaintiff to lure him into an empty, unsupervised classroom to molest and sexually assault him,” the complaint stated.
There were at least five incidents that the plaintiff claims to remember. They included being forced to perform oral and anal sexual acts.
“After plaintiff entered high school, he turned to drugs and alcohol in an attempt to numb his pain and shame,” the court filing stated.
“Plaintiff has suffered mental anguish as a result of defendant John Doe’s actions and has undergone therapy for the effects,” the complaint stated, adding the effects have included anxiety issues and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The charges include battery and negligence against Doe, the school and the Diocese. In the complaint, the plaintiff claims both the school and the diocese should have checked and monitored Doe more closely, including visual checks and video surveillance around the property.
A jury trial has been demanded.
The complaint was filed on March 11 in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.