March 13, 2019 by legendary-production
TFNLG Attorney Files $10M Lawsuit on Behalf of Third-Grader Who Suffered Extreme Sexual Abuse at Hands of School Custodian
A $10 million federal lawsuit alleges that the Russell County, Virginia, school board and two principals "turned a blind eye" to a janitor's sexual abuse.
Attorney for John Doe tells PEOPLE the defendants allegedly left John Doe and the other victims vulnerable to Gobble’s abuse — which, according to the lawsuit, was predicated on behavior such as Gobble spending long periods of time alone with children and appearing “obsessive” and “overly friendly.”
At one point John Doe lived with Gobble, though he had no legal custody of the boy. Henley, the school principal at the time, assumed Gobble was a relative or friend, the suit claims.
“The school had a duty to protect John Doe and other students from Gobble’s sexual abuse,” Doe's attorney says. “The school, which is federally funded, is obligated to comply with a federal law called Title IX, which prohibits sexual discrimination, which includes sexual assault.”
But school officials did not follow Title IX’s requirements, the boy’s suit claims, causing him to suffer “extreme and severe emotional distress” including fright, horror, grief, shame and psychological trauma.