MEDIA – A local woman has filed suit against a Lansdowne school district, a school she formerly attended and a school security guard, alleging that the district defendants’ collective negligence allowed that same guard to groom and sexually abuse her for years when she was a minor.
Jane Doe A.E. of Philadelphia filed suit in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas on June 10 versus William Penn School District and Today’s Child Learning Centers, Inc. (doing business as “Today’s Child Learning Centers” and/or “Colwyn School”) of Lansdowne and L’Toray Hill, of Sharon Hill.
“At all times material hereto, Jane Doe A.E. was a student in the care, custody and control of defendant, WPSD. From approximately 2007 to 2012, Jane Doe A.E. was a student within WPSD enrolled at Walnut Street Elementary School. During this same time period, defendant WPSD employed adult defendant Hill as a school security guard who was responsible for keeping the children safe. Hill, in his position as school security guard, befriended female elementary school students, including Jane Doe A.E.,” the suit says.
“Hill groomed Jane Doe A.E. for years as an employee for WPSD, by buying her lunch, taking her out of class to his office, calling her his ‘wife’ and ‘girlfriend’ and providing her with inappropriate attention during school hours. Hill had a reputation for grooming young girls enrolled in the WPSD. Hill’s history and reputation with young girls was known or should have been known to defendants. Hill’s grooming of Jane Doe A.E. continued through her enrolment as a WPSD student at both Penn Wood Middle School, and Penn Wood High School.”
The suit adds that Hill would meet Jane Doe A.E. at her bus stop and provide her special access to WPSD buildings during cold mornings while waiting for the bus. Furthermore, during these occasions Hill would kiss Jane Doe A.E. on the lips.
“Defendant WPSD knew of and/or should have known of Hill’s propensity to engage in inappropriate sexual contact with minor students. At this same time Hill worked for Defendant Colwyn School as an employee. As a part of his grooming of Jane Doe A.E., Hill got her an ‘unofficial’ job there,” the suit states.
“In the summer of 2017, while employed by Colwyn School and WPSD, Hill was sexual abusing minor child Jane Doe A.E. by engaging in indecent contact and intercourse via compulsion by use of physical, intellectual, moral, emotional or psychological force, either express or implied. Hill sexually abused Jane Doe A.E. on field trips sponsored by Defendant Colwyn School. The sexual abuse via compulsion continued on numerous occasions through November of 2018 while Hill was working for Colwyn School and WPSD.”
Hill continued to sexually abuse Jane Doe A.E. through November 2018, the suit says, and further, that defendants WPSD and Today’s Child Learning Centers, Inc., doing business as “Today’s Child Learning Centers” and/or Colwyn School knew or should have known that Hill was using his position as a security guard to sexually abuse minors, including Jane Doe A.E.
“In 2020, Hill was arrested and charged with various offenses…for his sexual abuse of Jane Doe A.E. at both WPSD and Today’s Child Learning Centers, Inc., doing business as ‘Today’s Child Learning Centers’ and/or ‘Colwyn School’,” per the suit.
“The contacts described were inappropriate and sexual in nature and the grooming done by Hill took place over years, was conducted in public and could have been discovered upon reasonable investigation.”
The suit says the minor plaintiff has suffered embarrassment, post-traumatic stress disorder, humiliation, loss of dignity, depression, anxiety, fear, emotional distress and mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and life’s pleasures, loss of earnings, medical expenses and such other injuries, damages and losses.
For multiple counts of negligence, negligent supervision and negligent retention, the plaintiff is seeking, jointly and severally, damages in excess of $50,000, plus interest, costs, attorney’s fees, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the Court, including punitive damages, to punish said defendants and to act as a deterrent to others similarly situated and who might commit similar acts in the future.
The plaintiff is represented by Joseph L. Messa Jr. and Brett Furber of Messa & Associates, in Philadelphia.
The defendants have not yet obtained legal counsel.
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas case CV-2021-005156
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com