Connecticut boarding school settles sex abuse lawsuits

Published January 04, 2018

A Connecticut boarding school has made payouts to settle two lawsuits by former students alleging they were sexually abused by faculty members in the 1980s, an attorney said Thursday.

The plaintiffs had accused the Indian Mountain School in Salisbury of failing to stop teachers and the headmaster from inflicting abuse on young boys, including sodomy, voyeurism and forced masturbation.

The terms of the settlements are confidential.

"The amount of money although confidential is meaningful and it is a start to closing this very sad and very tragic chapter in my clients' lives," said Antonio Ponvert, an attorney for the plaintiffs.

A statement issued by attorneys for both sides said the settlements allow the school to focus on its role of educating children.

"The school also remains steadfast in its commitment to prevent a recurrence of the misconduct on its campus in the 1970s and '80s," said Joseph White, an attorney for the school.

Indian Mountain settled five similar lawsuits in the 1990s. No criminal charges were ever filed. A 50-page police report filed in 1992 detailed misconduct by English teacher Christopher Simonds and a former headmaster, Peter Carleton, but concluded the statute of limitations had expired.

Simonds, who was fired in 1985, and Carleton are dead.

The school enrolls students in pre-kindergarten through ninth grade and charges up to $59,600 a year.

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