A high school student has claimed that he was engaged in a “non consensual” sexual relationship with his teacher, and though brought to the attention of school officials by several community members, the information was ignored, as reported in The Saginaw News.
The young man, while a student at Freeland High School, was allegedly coerced into an inappropriate relationship with his teacher, M.L.R.
The lawyer for the victim, Farmington-based William R. Seikaly, stated that the student is seeking over $1 million in damages. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Bay City.
Named as defendants along with M.L.R. are the Freeland Community School District, Freeland Superintendent M.A.C, Freeland High School Principal J.G. and former high school Assistant Principal J.B.W. Jr.
It is alleged in the lawsuit that M.A.C., J.G. and J.B.W. Jr. were all notified by various members of the community that there was a “real possibility that (M.L.R.) had engaged in inappropriate behavior with her students on multiple occasions” and that all three “neither completed a proper investigation nor reported the findings as they had a legal and ethical obligation to do.”
The suit further reports that the allegations were not investigated, or that they “were so inadequate as to be in reckless disregard of the rights of those students who came into contact with (M.L.R.).”
M.A.C. said in defense of the district, “I’m very confident the Freeland Community School District did nothing wrong.”
M.L.R. has already been found guilty and sentenced to four to 15 years in prison. Her sentence, handed down last December, was for sex crimes with a student, 16 at the time, in Saginaw and Midland counties.
Police records show that the youth admitted to having up to 100 encounters with his teacher that culminated with intercourse. Seventy five separate encounters, between May 2009 and February 2010, the two engaged in other sex acts.
The sexual activity was unprotected.
The suit alleges that M.L.R. seduced her student, it was “not consensual” and she told him that she was “in love with him, wanted to marry him and was only sexually involved with him and no other.”
The teen has claimed that due to the “sexual abuse” he suffers from “physical, psychological and emotional injury.”
J.B.W. Jr. has been described as “very uncooperative” and “hostile” with the Tittabawassee Township Police Department when questioned about M.L.R.’s behavior. He has since resigned from his position with Freeland, a few months just after M.L.R. was charged.
Police have stated that they learned that J.B.W. Jr. and M.L.R., both married, were “planning on being together” after each gained a divorce. Records show that J.B.W. Jr. denied having an affair.
His divorce was completed this past year.
M.L.R. has not, per divorce records in Saginaw County, begun any divorce proceedings of her own.
The victim’s lawyer wants the case to be heard in a U.S. District Court further away, such as Flint or Detroit, as the boy “wishes to pursue this action as far away from the glare of local media attention as possible.”
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