Multiple allegations of sexual abuse at The Gow School in New York have surfaced in the wake of a former student’s lawsuit against the school.

According to reports, including an investigation by the school itself, a former student who attended in the 1990s first reported an incident of sexual abuse involving a faculty member in 2019.

Plaintiff Aaron W. stated in a lawsuit that he was raped by an English teacher and alleged negligence by The Gow School, a boarding and day school for students with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities in South Wales, New York, the Buffalo News reported. The publication reports Aaron’s lawsuit is one of four Child Victims Act lawsuits filed against the school.

Top Class Actions reports on class action lawsuits and other legal issues such as sexual abuse cases that took place under the purview of an institution such as a church or school. These are individual cases, not class actions.

Aaron detailed the accusations late last year, alleging teacher Thomas Simmeth of sneaking into his dorm and raping him, according to multiple reports.

“I told Mr. Simmeth about my sexuality, that I liked guys,” Aaron said in a news conference with reporters, according to the Buffalo News. “That very night, he snuck into my room, and he also raped me.”

Following Aaron’s claims, the school launched an investigation asking any alumni to report inappropriate incidents they may have experienced or witnessed.

Twelve people, including former students, staff, and parents, came forward, with allegations of “forced sexual interactions,” bullying, and nonsexual but inappropriate “verbal exchanges” with teachers, according to the school.

The allegations included multiple reports of inappropriate sexual conduct involving numerous faculty members, including Simmeth and others, some of whom have since faced charges for crimes including possession of child pornography and sexual abuse.

According to the school’s investigation, Simmeth, who worked at The Gow School from 1993 to 2001, declined to be interviewed or comment on the allegations.

Similarly, in a March 2020 lawsuit, another former student alleged sexual abuse by a different English teacher at The Gow around the same time, the school’s report stated.

In July 2020, a law firm based in New York City that represents Aaron, filed another lawsuit alleging a student was “repeatedly sexually abused” while a resident at The Gow School from 1983­­–1986.

The former student said he was a child attending the school when a staff member “engaged in unpermitted sexual abuse,” according to the lawsuit.

The law firm has reported multiple survivors have since contacted it alleging sexual abuse at Gow.

The July lawsuit claims that The Gow “negligently employed and retained staff members to whom they gave access to child residents.”

“Several of the staff members had histories of abusing minor students. This lawsuit arises out of Plaintiff’s significant damages related to the sexual abuse,” according to the firm.

Still, the school reported in its investigation that while the reported incidents included “allegations of inexcusable behavior on the part of former faculty,” it noted they were “not contemporaneously reported by students, faculty, or parents to school administrators, with one exception.”

“None of the allegations included misconduct on the part of the administration or a systemic failure to deal with difficult situations. Similarly, there is no reason to conclude that administrators should have known about these incidents or that anyone failed to take appropriate actions,” the report states.

In a statement to WIVB in December, following the latest allegations, the school said it “takes allegations such as these seriously.”

“The school’s leaders, faculty and staff continue to be vigilant, trained and aware of all policies and protocols to assure a safe, inclusive and healthy living and learning environment,” the statement read.

The school maintains that the abuse uncovered in the investigation was not part of a systemic cover-up.

“The report found no systemic administrative coverup or ignoring of these allegations. In fact, it found that the individuals involved had not reported these incidents to school leaders at the time.”

The Gow school is one of several schools that have recently been hit with sexual assault allegations. Others include the Thacher School in Ojai, California, and Glen Mills Schools in Pennsylvania.

Filing a School Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

If you or someone you love have suffered from sexual assault or abuse in a school or other academic setting, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation, not just against the perpetrator, but against the organization that may have allowed the abuse to occur.

Several states — including New York, California, and New Jersey — have recently made changes to their childhood sexual abuse laws, giving survivors more time to come forward with their allegations.

Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.