Jury finds former Pine Bush school psychologist sexually abused middle school student in late 1980s
The civil case was filed under New York’s Child Victims Act by a man who is now 51 years old.
More Stories
An Orange County jury has found that a former Pine Bush school psychologist sexually abused an eighth-grade student more than three decades ago — and also found the Pine Bush School District and Board of Education negligent in failing to stop it.
The civil case was filed under New York’s Child Victims Act by a man who is now 51 years old. According to court documents, he testified that the abuse began when he was 13 and a student at Crispell Middle School between 1988 and 1990.
The lawsuit accused former school psychologist Peter Johns of grooming the student, isolating him, pulling him out of class for lengthy one-on-one sessions, and spending time with him outside of school. The complaint also alleged that Johns drove the boy to and from school and regularly met with him behind closed doors — behavior the plaintiff’s attorney argued should have raised concerns among administrators and staff.
A state judge allowed negligent supervision and negligent retention claims to move forward against the district after determining that a jury should decide whether school officials ignored what she described as “numerous red flags.” Those claims included allegations that Johns had unrestricted access to students and was permitted to take them off school grounds without oversight.
After hearing testimony, the jury found that Johns did sexually abuse the boy during his time as a student and found that the Pine Bush School District and Board of Education were negligent.
Attorneys for the survivor say all parties reached a confidential resolution after the liability verdict. Because of confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses in the agreement, the survivor’s attorney said he could not comment further on the outcome.
The Pine Bush School District has not released a public statement on the verdict.
The Child Victims Act, signed into law in 2019, temporarily lifted the statute of limitations to allow adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits that were previously time-barred. Hundreds of cases were filed statewide during the window, including several involving school districts.
