ROME, GEORGIA: As much as 20 former Darlington College pupils in Georgia have filed a lawsuit in search of $345 million in damages for alleged sexual abuse they allegedly suffered by the hands of a former instructor years in the past. The lawsuit allegedly targets insurance coverage suppliers who supplied protection for the establishment.
The accusations of abuse first appeared in a 2017 story within the Atlanta Journal-Structure, which asserted that the varsity was conscious of the abuse on the time however selected to not take any motion. Later, the statue of limitations was over. The previous college students, who establish because the “Darlington Survivors,” initially reached a settlement with the accused Roger Stifflemire, in response to which he was not required to pay the pupils any cash.
The process did permit the person to pursue an insurance coverage cost, although. The ex-students’ claims of mistreatment by Stifflemire on the faculty and on discipline journeys have been lined by Darlington’s insurance coverage throughout these years.
Roger Stifflemire
Who’s Roger Stifflemire?
On the Darlington College in Rome, Georgia, Roger Stifflemire spent plenty of years educating English and supervising the dorms. He’s 81 now and resides in Alabama. He by no means admitted to mistreating his pupils. Darlington did conduct an investigation into the claims, nevertheless it stored the findings non-public.
Within the Seventies and Nineteen Eighties, Stifflemire was accountable for college students who have been 13 to 17 years outdated and is accused of abusing them sexually. He labored on the establishment from 1974 until 1994. In response to the Each day Mail, the scholars, who are actually of their 40s and 50s, stated that Stifflemire catcalled them, carried out oral intercourse on them, and “groomed” them. Moreover, he allegedly took them on weekend excursions to an unique ski membership. They stated he had sexually assaulted them each on and off faculty premises, compelling them to have intercourse with him in his off-campus residence.
Ultimately, a plaque recognizing “memorable” and “influential” instructors led Darlington to undertake Stifflemire’s identify. A brand new monument honoring the victims of sexual assault was later unveiled. The college’s web site states that “”Not for monetary profit,” however moderately “for instructional and literary functions, through which could also be taught all fields of studying,” Darlington was established and integrated. Darlington is now much more than only a college-preparatory establishment. It’s a setting the place curiosity can turn into information. a setting the place compassion is was help. the place integrity ignites into honor.”
In an effort to “present a safe area for different victims to really feel snug coming ahead,” “Darlington Survivors” established a Fb web page. “As a result of the key has been hidden for a lot too lengthy, we wished to ascertain an area that’s clear. As well as, we wished to supply a platform for the Darlington Group to indicate their affection and assist. In an effort to break the silence and communicate the reality, to assist heal the injuries which have harm us all for therefore lengthy, and to lastly give us all hope for a contemporary begin at Darlington College, it’s our goal “declared the group.