Child Porn Victim Filmed at School: Lawsuit
Michael Andrew Alexander has already been sentenced to almost 50 years behind bars for filming child pornography in the school where he taught but the legal system isn't done with him yet.
Earlier this year, Alexander was arrested as part of an international child porn ring and charged with multiple crimes. He pleaded guilty to some of the criminal charges in a plea deal but now the family of one girl he abused has filed a civil lawsuit as well.
While a criminal suit is meant to punish people who endanger public safety, a civil suit is designed to compensate the victim. That's what the family is hoping to do although the harm is serious.
The lawsuit claims that Alexander sexually abused a then-8-year-old-girl, named Jane Doe in the suit. He was her third grade teacher at Hildebran Elementary School.
Besides the allegations of sexual abuse, the girl's family also claims that school's guidance counselor, Linda Bradshaw, disregarded her duty to report claims of abuse.
The victim went to Bradshaw and told her what was happening in Alexander's classroom, reports Burke County WBTV-TV. But the counselor allegedly told her stop lying and sent her back to class. The incident was never reported.
The suit names Alexander and the school guidance counselor as defendants. It also includes a list of ten unidentified people associated with the school system, all called John Roe.
When filing a civil suit, it's possible to include a list of unnamed defendants, generally called Jane or John Doe, as placeholders. When additional defendants are identified they can easily be added to the claim by substituting their name for one John Doe.
The victim's attorney, Douglas Fierberg, said he added the names in case evidence shows that school officials or employees knew of the abuse and didn't report it. The unnamed defendants don't necessarily represent actual people that Fierberg knows about now, reports Burke County WBTV-TV.
Alexander's guilty plea in the criminal case could be used against him in the civil action filed on Monday. While the family has to prove the claims in order to collect, the plea could be evidence.
Creating and distributing child pornography is a crime but locking up Alexander doesn't necessarily help the family deal with the emotional, physical, and psychological harm their child suffered. Hopefully the civil suit will be able to provide that relief.
Related Resources:
- Child sues Burke County school system over sexual abuse (The Charlotte Observer)
- 2nd Miramonte Elementary Teacher Arrested for Child Abuse (FindLaw's Blotter)
- CA Schools Liable for Sexually Abusive Teachers (FindLaw's Injured)