In June of this year, an unnamed man, “John Doe,” sued William Dederick, a retired Kingston biology teacher and administrator, alleging Dederick sexually abused him while he was a student at Kingston High School in the 1980s.
Earlier this month, according to court filings, a second individual joined the suit. The school district was also named as a defendant.
Defending Dederick is Dylan Gallagher of O’Connor and Partners, who said even with the second victim coming forward, Dederick “maintains his innocence.”
“We are looking forward to defending against these charges,” said Gallagher.
In the suit, the first accuser is referred to as “Doe I” and the second as “Doe II.”
“The case was made possible by the passage of the Child Victims Act, which created a window for adult survivors of child sexual abuse to bring their claims in New York that previously were time-barred,” said Daniel Stabile, who is representing both accusers. “Until recently, adult survivors were left without legal recourse because these types of claims were required to be brought within a short period of time after the victim’s eighteenth birthday.”
Doe I’s lawsuit states that he was 14 years old when the abuse from Dederick began. The allegations state that in 1982 Dederick offered him a ride to Woodstock, where Dederick then asked a series of inappropriate sexual questions, brought him to his apartment, offered to watch pornography, and abused him. The lawsuit also included that Dederick stated to Doe I that other “boys at the school had engaged in similar inappropriate sexual activity.”
Over the next two years, the lawsuit says, Dederick repeatedly lured Doe I to his apartment where further sexual abuse took place. Additionally, the suit alleges that Dederick also abused the victim during regular school hours during lunch, free periods and gym class.
As a result of the abuse, the victim had “extensive psychological therapy for many years” and “was prescribed and began taking antidepressants,” which he is still taking today as well as going to therapy.
Doe I has also decided to sue the school district because he believes it knew about the abuse but failed to act. The lawsuit reads, “The School and the School District knew, or in the exercise of reasonable care, should have known that Dederick did in fact abuse Doe I and/or other children.”
Additionally, the lawsuit states that the school and the school district should have known that “Dederick was unfit, dangerous, and a threat to the health, safety and welfare of the minors entrusted in his care as a teacher (and eventually an administrator).”
Doe I states in the lawsuit that he wanted to use a pseudonym because if he were to use his real name he would “experience significant further emotional harm, trauma and embarrassment.” Additionally, the victim was “very concerned about the impact on my family if I were forced to litigate this matter utilizing my name.” Justice Michael Mackey ruled that he could remain anonymous on July 15 of this year.
Another reason Doe I wished to stay anonymous, he said, was so that other victims thinking about coming forward would know they didn’t need to identify themselves publicly. This happened on December 16, when a proposed amended complaint was filed that added Doe II as a plaintiff, with no new defendants.
“Doe II asserts the same causes of action asserted by Doe I against Dederick, one of the same causes of action against the school district, and the amended complaint does not add any additional causes of action against either defendant,” read Stabile’s support for the amendment.
In Doe II’s case, he was also 14, but his alleged abuse began after Dederick was hired as a tutor for the victim, which was arranged between the victim’s mother and the school district. The tutoring began in 1984 and was scheduled for two hours twice a week, according to the amended lawsuit.
During the end of the first session, the lawsuit stated, Dederick offered Doe II vodka to drink and began showing the victim pornographic videos, one of which included Dederick having sex with a female student whom Doe II recognized as being a minor. It further alleged that Dederick also began sexually abusing Doe II at the first tutoring session, which escalated from there.
“We are proud to stand behind these two survivors of child sexual abuse, who now may have their voices heard after many years,” said Stabile. “The factual background underlying these claims is heartbreaking, and we believe it took great courage for these two victims to come forward and share their stories of abuse, which may inspire others to come forward. We are committed to seeing that justice is finally served.”
Stabile had no further comment, The motion is currently pending a motion to allow Doe II to join Doe I as a plaintiff.
Mark C. Rushfield of Shaw, Perelson, May & Lambert, representing the school district, did not return requests for comments as of December 28.
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