Crime & Safety

Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed Against Pike School, Staff

The Pike School, in addition to Groton School, are being named as defendants in connection with a sex abuse scandal involving a teacher and minor student.

OUTSIDE BOSTON, MA -- In Boston today, the lawyer of a former Pike School student is filing a lawsuit against the Pike School, Groton School and staff at both schools alleging that an inappropriate sexual relationship between a female teacher and the former student should have been noticed by many in the schools’ communities.

The lawsuit alleges that the former Pike School teacher Judith Elefante, formerly Judith Chapell, had a sexual relationship with a male minor student, who’s now in his mid-30s, that began at the Pike School and carried on through the student’s time at Groton School and college.

According to the document filed by attorney Carmen Durso in Suffolk Superior Court,  Elefante was in a position to exploit the plaintiff’s dependency and self-confidence issues in order to begin a sexual relationship that became very demanding at points and eventually caused the former Pike School student to stop his schooling prematurely.  

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The lawsuit is saying that that faculty and staff at both the Pike School and Groton School acted negligently in regards to standing in the way of Elefante’s behavior.  As a result, the former student was assaulted, battered and raped by Elefante. The lawsuit is seeking damages as a result of the serious and permanent physical and emotional injuries sustained by the inappropriate sexual relationship.

Pike School Headmaster John “Muddy” Waters recently sent out a letter to the Pike School community, explaining that the school had first dealt with the news of the sexual relationship two years ago, firing Elefante as a result.

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“While we took steps two years ago to satisfy ourselves that no one at Pike had knowledge of this developing relationship nor, for that matter, any other inappropriate conduct by Ms. Elefante, we are now undertaking a more comprehensive inquiry to ensure that no stone has been left unturned,” Waters wrote in the letter to the school community dated Feb. 21, 2013.

A Pike School spokesperson, Karen Schwartzman, said the school would have no further comment beyond that letter. A request for comment from Groton School was not returned as of deadline.

The lawsuit also alleges that Elefante had been involved sexually with many other male students in her career at Pike and had done so in a habitual nature. 


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