Stoughton, School Officials Sued By Alleged Timothy Norton Victim

STOUGHTON, MA — The town of Stoughton faces a new lawsuit from the student who was allegedly involved in an inappropriate relationship with a Stoughton High School teacher. The town, Stoughton Public Schools Superintendent Marguerite Rizzi, and Stoughton High School Principal Juliette Miller face charges filed in Norfolk Superior Court by a woman who is only identified as Jane Doe. Court documents were filed on Nov. 15.

The complaint alleges that Miller, Rizzi and other town employees did not perform their duty as mandated reporters when they had reason to suspect an inappropriate relationship between now-former teacher Timothy Norton and the victim, who was 17 when the relationship allegedly started. Additionally, Miller and Rizzi are accused of either neglecting their responsibility or not being properly trained in their positions as mandated reporters and did not report signs of grooming to police. Stoughton Public Schools policy forbids relationships between teachers and students, even after they have graduated.

During the 2013-14 school year, the victim became involved in the STEM program Destination Imagination, which Norton was an adviser for. The next year, she continued to participate in the program, but Norton allegedly began to engage in grooming behavior which included allowing her to keep both personal and school belongings in his classroom, allowing her to rest in the backroom of his classroom during class, engaging in intimate one-on-one conversations which involved home life and non-educational matters while in the presence of other students, texting the victim on a regular basis on non-educational matters, and spending time with the victim both during and outside of school hours, according to court documents.

This continued until her graduation in 2015, with Norton allegedly giving the victim passes to spend time in his classroom and written requests to other teachers to remove her from their classes to spend time with him in his classroom.

"This excessive time together either for no educational purpose or a pretextual educational purpose should have been observed and recognized as improper grooming behavior by teachers, administrative staff, and school officials who should have taken measures to question and stop it," the complaint reads.

The relationship allegedly became sexual in February 2015, with Miller opening an investigation that fall. Neither Norton or the victim were disciplined for their relationship and the relationship allegedly continued as the victim started college and ended in September 2017.

Following the end of the relationship, the victim confided to another Stoughton High School teacher about it. The teacher then brought the information to Miller, who notified Norton that he was going to be served with an "intention to dismiss" notice and the information would be passed to the Stoughton Police Department. Norton resigned a short time afterward.

Norton was scheduled to appear in Stoughton District Court for a clerk magistrate hearing, which is held behind closed doors and is used to determine if charges are appropriate. The court has refused to release any information regarding the hearing or the case.

The victim is seeking a jury trial against the town, Miller, and Rizzi and a financial amount to be determined by a jury together with interest, costs and attorneys’ fees.

When reached for comment, Rizzi said the Stoughton Public Schools are unable to comment on pending litigation.

Below is the full complaint:

Stoughton v Doe by DanLibon on Scribd

Image: File Photo