A former Union City public school student, who has filed a lawsuit using only his initials, is alleging “repeated and extensive child sexual abuse” between 1994 and 2001.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Plaintiff M.N. was sexually assaulted and abused by [Rolando] Gonzalez, an employee, agent, and servant of the School Defendants, while Plaintiff was a minor student under the care, custody, and control of the School Defendants from 1994 through 2001,” the lawsuit, filed in Hudson County Superior Court last month, claims.
While the Union City Board of Education and Washington Elementary School are named as defendants, Gonzalez is not since he has been deceased, the court filing, where MN is represented by attorney Rosemarie Arnold, says.
“Gonzalez used his position of power as an ESL teacher to groom Plaintiff for sexual abuse and to sexually abuse Plaintiff on the premises of School Defendants. As a vulnerable child to whom Gonzalez had access through Defendants’ facilities and programs, Plaintiff was a foreseeable victim,” the lawsuit further states.
“All of the acts of sexual abuse, sexual contact, and sexual penetration occurred when Gonzalez was an ESL teacher employed by the School Defendants and on the premises of the School Defendants.”
MN also contends that the defendants “breached their duties” by continuing Gonzalez’s employment after the sexual abuse occurred for years.
“From third grade to sixth grade, the grooming, forcible sexual touching, and sex abuse predominantly occurred in Gonzalez’s classroom trailer on school property while school officials and other WES teachers readily turned a blind eye and allowed Plaintiff, a vulnerable child they were obligated to protect, to be taken from his classroom for no reason and abused in plain sight,” the suit asserts.
“As Gonzalez’s classroom trailer was removed from school property during Plaintiff’s seventh and eighth grade years at WES … With apparent condonation from the school, Gonzalez quickly found an unoccupied office near the gymnasium, with various windows, and in which primarily stored books, and Gonzalez used that office to subject Plaintiff to excruciating sexual abuse during his seventh and eighth grade years at WES.”
The lawsuit also declares that Gonzalez drove the plaintiff over to his house after school, promising him time to play Super Nintendo, but instead showing him pornography, forcing him to masturbate, and performing oral sex on the 12-year-old student.
Ultimately, the five-count suit alleges sexual abuse of a minor, negligence, violating the Child Sexual Abuse Act in New Jersey, creating a discriminatory, harassing, and hostile educational environment, as well as infliction of emotional distress.
As a result, MN is seeking a jury trial, in which event Hannah E. Bacon would serve as counsel, as well as a demand for discovery of insurance information to see if a carrier would be able to cover part or all of a judgement reached in this case.
A spokesman for the Union City BOE did not immediately return an inquiry seeking comment, but the district typically does not comment on pending litigation.
