Abuse Suit Against Massachusetts Private School Setttled

An exclusive western Massachusetts private school has settled a lawsuit brought by a former student who said she was sexually assaulted by a teacher when she was 16 and that the school did nothing about it.

A spokeswoman for the Williston Northampton School said terms of the settlement in the suit filed nearly two years ago are confidential.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that the settlement was reached Jan. 30.

Several administrators and a teacher were named as defendants.

The lawsuit alleged that the biology teacher built a relationship with the 10th-grader, then sexually assaulted her. It said when the girl complained, the school suggested she was lying and labeled her “mentally unstable.”

The teacher denied physical contact but the girl’s attorney said text messages confirmed the relationship.