Deerfield Settles 1980s Sexual Assault Suit for $500,000

On Tuesday, January 12, 2016, Deerfield Academy agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a sexual abuse lawsuit filed by a former Deerfield student.

The victim, who has chosen to remain anonymous, claimed that on more than one occasion after sporting events, two former coaches left him with English teacher Bryce Lambert, who allegedly sexually assaulted him. No criminal charges have been brought against the two coaches or against Bryce Lambert, who died in 2007. However, the lawsuit named the two former coaches, in addition to Deerfield Academy, as defendants.

The alleged abuse occurred during the plaintiff’s time at Deerfield between 1983 and 1985, when he was between the ages of 15 and 17, according to his attorney, Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer who specializes in cases of sexual abuse. Garabedian filed a civil suit on behalf of his client.

According to Garabedian, “In a civil case, the plaintiff is looking for monetary damage. In a criminal case, the victim is looking to put criminal sanctions against the defendant, such as putting the defendant in jail. In both instances, victims of sexual abuse want to try to heal, and they try to use the legal system as a vehicle to heal, in order to try to gain a degree of closure.”

In 2013, after evidence of a similar incident came to light, Philip Greer, the former President of the Board of Trustees, and Head Of School Dr. Margarita Curtis released a statement acknowledging that another former faculty member, Peter Hindle, had abused former student Whit Sheppard. The statement read, “While the reported behavior occurred many years ago, we recognize that it continues to cause great pain. There is no greater violation of our values than broken trust between student and teacher.”

In a 2013 article about his experience published in