Settlement reached in decades-old Mass. boarding school sexual abuse case

DEERFIELD, Mass. — A boarding school in Western Massachusetts reached a settlement on Tuesday with a sexual abuse victim for an incident that occurred more than three decades ago.

Deerfield Academy and the victim, who is not being named, settled on a childhood sexual abuse claim “in the low six figures,” according to Attorney Mitchell Garabedian.

The abuser has been identified as Norman Therien, who worked for the Deerfield Academy Athletic Department and was placed on leave in March 2022 pending an independent investigation by the school. He was subsequently fired upon the conclusion of the investigation, according to school administrators.

The abuse reportedly took place when the victim was about 8 or 9 years old in either 1991 or 1992 in the athletic stockroom of Deerfield Academy. Officials say the victim wasn’t a student at the school but lived on the campus with parents who worked there.

“Upon receiving this historical allegation in March 2022 via our independently operated whistleblower hotline, we informed local law enforcement and met with the employee who was the subject of the allegation, immediately placing him on leave,” Deerfield Academy said in a statement. “We subsequently engaged former Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court John M. Greaney to conduct an independent investigation of the allegation. Based on Judge Greaney’s findings, we ended the individual’s employment.”

Therien had worked at the school for over 40 years.

The victim’s attorney is urging anyone else who may have been abused by Therien to come forward.

“The courageous sexual abuse victim is to be admired for his courage, determination, and concern about the healing of sexual abuse victims and keeping children safe,” Attorney Garabedian said.

He also questioned school leadership during this time period, and why the supervisors failed to protect this child.

School administrators say they have consulted with outside experts and regularly review their policies and procedures regarding adult boundaries and sexual misconduct.

“Deerfield goes to great lengths to build a warm, vibrant, and above all, safe environment for the youth in our care,” Deerfield Academy responded. “For more than a decade, we have proactively implemented numerous and overlapping safeguards to protect students, including protocols for reporting boundary violations and the careful, judicious investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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