Twenty men have been awarded $345 million by a Floyd County judge following their complaints that they were sexually assaulted while students at Darlington School.
The investigations into ongoing sexual assaults of students reportedly showed that the attacks occurred between 1974 and 1994. The school reportedly was not notified of the incidents until 2016. However, one victim said that he reported the abuse to his mother, who notified the school in 1988.
This announcement comes after a $6 million settlement resolved claims against the abuser, a former teacher and dorm supervisor Robert Stifflemire. Stifflemire, now 83, never acknowledged abusing students nor was he never prosecuted. The school has since removed Stifflemire’s name from a plaque that honored “memorable” and “influential” teachers.
One of the plaintiffs, Chris Gaba, said “It was a positive surprise. Honestly, I’m still processing it. It does give me a great deal of vindication.” He also said that by telling his story of what happened though the litigation process helped him heal after keeping the attacks a secret for so long. Gaba was a student at the school from 1978 until 1981.
Of the 20 victims that were awarded the money, 19 are still alive. The estate of the deceased victim is pursuing damages on his behalf.
Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company is on the hook for $232 million, Zurich American Insurance Company for $92 million, both The North River Insurance Company and Northern Insurance Company of New York must pay $10 million, and Continental Casualty Company owes $1 million. An attorney for Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company said that they plan to appeal.
Headmaster of Darlington School Brent Bell is quoted to say ” While we cannot undo the past and we realize that the scars left by Roger Stifflemire’s abuse during his tenure at Darlington from 1974-1994 may never fully heal, we hope that this will be another step in the healing process for the courageous group of survivors who came forward, shared their painful stories and helped expose the truth.
Inappropriate contact by anyone responsible for the care and well-being of our students will not be tolerated at Darlington. Darlington’s current school policies are focused on respectful boundaries, training, communication, and reporting procedures for both students and faculty, and are meant to create a safe environment for our students to learn, grow, and excel.”
