Second Grade Student Sexually Assaulted At Bergen County Public School: Lawsuit

HILLSDALE, NJ — A man in his fifties filed a lawsuit against the Hillsdale Public Schools this week, saying he was sexually assaulted by a second grade teacher in the 1980s.

The suit, filed in Superior Court in Bergen County on Monday, alleges that elementary teacher Howard Schultz — now deceased — sexually abused the victim while he was a student at George White Elementary School in 1981 and 1982.

The suit says that the boy, then 7 or 8, was a student in a female teacher's classroom that was in close proximity to Schultz's class.

The suit says that Schultz would frequently keep the boy after class to help with cleaning the blackboard and other jobs, but would abuse him in the closet and elsewhere.

The suit says, "The sexual abuse of plaintiff began with touching and massaging and progressed to more horrific and brutal abuse including but not limited to, oral sex and sodomy."

The suit says that Schultz would often keep another student from his own classroom after school with the victim.

The suit says that the district had a duty to protect its students, and that other district employees "concealed the sexual abuse of children by Schultz in order their own bad acts in failing to protect children from him."

The suit says the victim — identified only as S.B. — only realized the extent of the trauma from the abuse years later.

The victim is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

The man's attorneys, Morristown-based law firm Leonard Legal Group, noted that the suit was filed during the statute of limitations under the New Jersey Child Victims act, and that the victim is not yet 55.

They declined to say which state the client lives in now.

Hillsdale Schools Superintendent Robert Lombardy, who was hired by the district in 2018, said the district would not comment on the suit.

Second Case Involving Schultz

The firm said they are looking for other victims of Schultz to come forward.

They said they had already filed a case involving another of his victims in June that was settled for $3 million in Bergen County Superior Court while the jury was deliberating.

“Schools are entrusted with safeguarding children. When they fail in that duty, the consequences can last a lifetime,” said Scott Leonard, founding partner of Leonard Legal Group. “We are committed to holding institutions accountable and giving survivors the chance to seek justice and have their voices heard." The firm can be contacted at sleonard@leonardlawyers.com.