New York City reached a settlement of paying out a sum of $200,000 to a female student who was allegedly sexually abused at her public school, the New York Post reported Saturday.
The civil suit alleged that administrators failed to take appropriate action against the group of boys involved, contributing to what was described as an already “dangerous environment” at the school, the New York Post added. The suit also claims that Marlon Bynum, the principal of Transit Tech High School, and Janice Ross, superintendent of the Brooklyn North district, were aware not only of this specific incident but also of other similar occurrences, the outlet reported.
The incident occurred Oct. 21, 2021, when the girl, 14 years old at the time, was walking to class through an isolated staircase. One of the boys forced her head down onto another boy to perform oral sex, while a third recorded the assault and subsequently shared the video on various social media platforms, including TikTok and Snapchat, the outlet reported.
NYC pays $200K to girl sexually abused, videotaped by Brooklyn HS boys — and school admins fueled ‘dangerous environment’ https://t.co/FponJJboeJ pic.twitter.com/GAHcttsu4D
— New York Post (@nypost) October 7, 2023
In response, the New York Police Department (NYPD) arrested two of the boys involved. One was charged with felony sexual assault, while the other faced a misdemeanor charge of offensive display. However, these charges were dropped a week later when the local District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez’s office, responsible for these cases, did not comment on the juvenile case, leaving questions as to why the case never made it to court. (RELATED: 17 Arrested For Allegedly Trying To Solicit Open-Air Prostitutes: REPORT)
Despite this, a Department of Education (DOE) report on the incident, as initially reported by the New York Post, indicated the existence of video footage related to the assault. However, the girl’s lawyer, personal injury attorney Kevin Mosley, alleged that the school erased the surveillance tape before he could obtain a copy. A week following the assault, DOE sent an email to the mother and said that the officials deemed that the boys’ behavior did not violate any laws.
Brooklyn’s Transit Tech High School is forced to pay $200K after it never punished group of teen boys who raped a female classmate, 14, and posted video of the attack online https://t.co/4MZfQhkPpx pic.twitter.com/uK3Fg8lTRT
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) October 8, 2023
“The cover-up is beyond belief. The authorities did not take her seriously,” Mosley told the New York Post. On Aug. 4, the city decided to pay the settlement to the sum of $200,000, the girl is set to receive $132,170, after legal fees, when she turns 18.
The alleged attackers still attend Transit Tech High School, however, the girl’s mother decided to change schools for her daughter’s safety. “No amount of money will compensate my daughter for what she had to go through, and is still going through as a victim of sexual assault,” the girl’s mother told New York Post in a statement.