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U.S. NEWS Monday 14 May 2018

Ex-student files sexual-abuse lawsuit

against New Hampshire prep school

By MARINA VILLENEUVE school to protect them.”
Associated Press Most of the former staff-
A former New Hampshire ers in the complaint were
boarding school student named last year in an in-
says in a lawsuit the school vestigation conducted by
violated her civil rights by the school into its history
failing to protect her from of sexual abuse dating to
sexual assault in a “hyper- 1947.
sexualized environment” The school reported alle-
where older students gations against 18 former
scored points for having staffers and shared its find-
sex with younger ones. ings with the attorney gen-
The lawsuit , filed Friday in eral’s office.
federal court in Concord, The Associated Press does
New Hampshire, claims of- not typically identify peo-
ficials at St. Paul’s School This Feb. 26, 2016 file photo shows the entrance to St. Paul’s ple who say they are vic-
failed to report the sexual School in Concord, N.H. tims of sexual assault unless
assault of a freshman dur- Associated Press they grant permission, as
ing the 2012-13 school eliminate the practice of faculty members. Prout has done.
year. The student said she older students “scoring” Cox said the school was Labrie, of Tunbridge, Ver-
was forced to leave the with freshman girls. “truly sorry” for their pain mont, is appealing his
school following bullying In January, the school set- “and for any failure of the conviction.q
and retaliation. tled a lawsuit with another
The president of the former student who said it
school’s board of trustees, failed to protect her from
Archibald Cox, said the being sexually assaulted.
school plans to cooperate Chessy Prout was a 15-year-
with police and the state old freshman at St. Paul’s in
attorney general to investi- 2014 when she accused
gate the matter. 18-year-old then-student
“We take these allegations Owen Labrie of assaulting
very seriously, but do not her as part of Senior Salute,
know whether they are ac- a competition among up-
curate or not,” Cox said in perclassman seeking to
a letter to the school com- have sex with younger stu-
munity. dents.
“In my experience this ad- Prout’s parents sued in
ministration has taken all re- 2016, shortly after Labrie
porting obligations seriously was convicted of sexual as-
and has fulfilled them.” sault, child endangerment
The lawsuit was filed on and using a computer to
behalf of a Jane Doe, a lure her for sex.
former student who was Prout, now 19, said this year
13 years old when she en- that what began as an ef-
rolled in 2012 and now lives fort to speak up for herself
in Maryland. It demands a in her case against Lab-
trial and damages for se- rie grew into “standing up
vere emotional distress. against a 162-year-old insti-
“From the time she arrived tution with a secret history
on campus, Ms. Doe expe- of rape and cover-up.”
rienced unwelcome sexual She said she wrote a book,
advances from some male “I Have The Right To: A High
students who were em- School Survivor’s Story of
boldened by formal and Sexual Assault, Justice, and
informal ‘tradition’ at the Hope,” in a bid to reclaim
school,” the lawsuit says. her name.
“Unbeknownst to Ms. Doe, The prep academy has
older boys started to sexu- denied that it could have
ally target her the moment prevented the assault and
she set foot on campus.” that it had a culture of
The lawsuit says school offi- sexual assault, but it said
cials failed to report, inves- the case has led to positive
tigate or address the girl’s changes on campus.
specific reports of sexual This month, two alumni from
assault to state or local au- the 1970s filed a complaint
thorities. against the school alleging
It says school officials also they were sexually assault-
failed to investigate or ed as students by former