Survivors' Rights

We represent former students in sexual abuse lawsuits against The Hotchkiss School. The suits allege that, during their time at the Hotchkiss College Preparatory School in Connecticut in the mid-1980s and  1990s, the former students were subjected to ritual hazing of a sexual nature by older student-proctors and that they were raped by male teachers known to the School as pedophiles who had abused numerous other male students at the School.

On July 9, 2019, U.S. District Judge Victor Bolden (D. Conn.) ruled that a former student’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Hotchkiss can move forward. Though the judge dismissed a count of intentional infliction of emotional distress against the school, he ruled that the case can proceed on the four other counts, those of breach of fidicuary duty, recklessness, negligence, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Lieff Cabraser has also filed a separate suit on behalf on another former Hotchkiss student who alleges sexually assault by Smith. That case is pending.

Lieff Cabraser represents survivors across the U.S. who have been victimized by sexual violence and sexual abuse. We treat every client with care, respect, and compassion as we bring our comprehensive legal skills forward on each case. We have a dedicated team of lawyers, nurse consultants, and paralegals experienced in working with and listening to survivors who work individually with every client in every case to see that justice is won.

If a school, church, sports team, hospital, or another institution failed to protect you from abuse, we may be able to help you hold that institution accountable, and possibly seek compensation and practice changes to prevent that failure from happening again to you or others. We urge you to contact a survivor’s rights lawyer at Lieff Cabraser today about your potential case and recovery.

If you were the victim of abuse unrelated to a larger institution, representation by our firm may not be the best option for your situation. We encourage you to consider representation by other attorneys, as well as support from resources like RAINN.org, WomensLaw.org, MaleSurvivor.org, 1in6.org (another resource for male survivors), iSurvive.org, and AfterSilence.org.