LYNN — A longtime Lynn Public Schools teacher has filed a civil lawsuit in Essex Superior Court alleging that a fellow school employee sexually assaulted her at her Nahant home and that school officials failed to take prompt action after she repeatedly reported the allegations to administrators.
The lawsuit, filed May 7, names the fellow teacher and Lynn Public Schools as defendants and seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and other relief.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff has worked for Lynn Public Schools for more than 26 years, first as a librarian and later as an integrated pre-kindergarten teacher at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, also known as Lynn Tech. The suit describes her as a “productive and qualified educator throughout her tenure with Lynn Public Schools.”
The complaint alleges that problems leading up to the lawsuit began during the 2024-25 school year, when the classroom exceeded by one student the district’s stated 15-student limit for her integrated pre-kindergarten class.
According to the filing, one student in the classroom exhibited repeated dangerous and disruptive behavior, and colleagues repeatedly warned administrators that the student should be reassigned.
The lawsuit alleges Lynn Public Schools declined to relocate the student despite repeated warnings. It states the student committed approximately 18 separate infractions against and roughly 14 incidents involving another colleague.
The complaint further alleges suffered a broken rib during one classroom incident on Oct. 31, 2024, which ultimately prompted the district to reconsider the student’s placement.
According to the lawsuit, she returned to work in December 2024 after recovering from the injury and later communicated with the defendant regarding filing a union grievance and workplace complaint connected to the classroom conditions.
The suit alleges the defendant later assisted while she was on medical leave in spring 2025 and agreed to briefly stop at her home in Nahant on April 30, 2025, to help draft paperwork related to her employment with Lynn Public Schools.
According to the complaint, the defendant arrived at home at approximately 7:30 p.m. that evening. The lawsuit states the two were discussing work-related matters when the defendant prepared alcoholic drinks for himself and the plaintiff.
The plaintiff alleges she consumed one sip of the drink before losing memory for several hours.
The complaint alleges the plaintiff awoke at approximately 3 a.m. “face down, and naked in her bed,” while the defendant was “standing next to her, also naked.” The filing further alleges that the defendant made sexually explicit statements to the plaintiff and ignored her objections.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff lost consciousness again and later awoke around 10 a.m. after the defendant had left the residence. The complaint alleges the plaintiff concluded she had been drugged and sexually assaulted.
The lawsuit states the plaintiff preserved the remaining drink and, with assistance from another individual, conducted an at-home test on the liquid using a kit purchased online.
According to the complaint, the test showed positive results for Rohypnol, GHB, and ketamine.
The filing states the plaintiff reported the alleged assault to the Nahant Police Department on May 18, 2025. The complaint further alleges the Essex County District Attorney’s Office requested expedited testing on the preserved drink but later concluded it was too late to detect the substances through official testing.
The Nahant Police denied The Daily Item’s public records request seeking reports connected to the plaintiff, citing exemptions under the Massachusetts Public Records Law. There is no record of criminal charges being filed to this point.
Superintendent Molly Cohen said Lynn Public Schools does not comment on pending litigation.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff sought emergency mental health treatment after the alleged assault and began treatment with a therapist and a rape counselor.
The complaint alleges that the plaintiff met with Lynn Tech Principal Fred Gallo on Aug. 27, 2025, and “explicitly disclosed” the allegations against the defendant during a meeting at his office. The lawsuit states the plaintiff cried and appeared visibly distressed while recounting the allegations.
The lawsuit alleges Lynn Public Schools failed to immediately investigate the claims or remove the defendant from the workplace. According to the complaint, the plaintiff later obtained a one-year restraining order against the defendant in Lynn District Court and notified school officials about the order.
The filing alleges that despite repeated complaints and notice of the restraining order, the defendant remained employed by the district and continued working in the same building as the plaintiff.
The complaint states school officials did not formally notify the plaintiff of her right to file a formal sexual harassment complaint until Oct. 8, 2025, more than six weeks after she first reported the allegations to administrators.
The lawsuit further alleges Lynn Public Schools retained attorney Douglas Louison to investigate the matter, but did not use an independent third-party investigator.
According to the complaint, the district later informed the plaintiff’s attorney that the investigation had concluded and that Lynn Public Schools had “not violated any applicable policies of the school district.”
The plaintiff alleges the district nevertheless continued requiring her to work in the same building as the defendant despite her diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression.
The complaint states the plaintiff requested a reasonable accommodation because of those conditions, but alleges the request was denied. The suit further alleges the plaintiff experienced panic attacks after returning to work and feared encountering the defendant at school.
The lawsuit asserts claims under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151B, including allegations of sexual harassment, disability discrimination, and interference with protected rights.
The defendant has not filed a response to the complaint in court records reviewed by this publication. The lawsuit notes that he was previously placed on leave during the pendency of a criminal matter and later found not guilty.
