DOVER, Del. (AP) - The Delaware Supreme Court says a woman who claims she was molested by her foster father can proceed with a lawsuit against the private school where he taught.
The justices on Thursday overturned a judge’s 2013 decision granting summary judgment to Fairwinds Christian School in Bear.
The woman claimed she was abused by Ed Sterling for several years, starting in the mid-1980s, while a student at the small Baptist school. She also claimed Sterling’s wife and fellow school employee, Sandy Sterling, knew about the abuse.
The court said a jury should decide whether the wife’s knowledge of the alleged abuse and failure to report it can be imputed to the school, and whether Fairwinds was negligent for not having a sexual abuse prevention policy and heeding red flags about Sterling.
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