William Sperl, a 60 year old New York audio production teacher for Eastern Suffolk Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (B.O.C.E.S.)., was arrested this week. Spell is charged with thirteen counts of child sexual abuse including:

• seven counts of rape,
• five counts of sexual abuse and
• one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

Authorities state that Spell used his role to prey upon students. He raped the student on school grounds. What we know to be true of child sexual offenders is where there is one victim, there usually are more. The victim in this case came forward as they believe there are more victims.

You are not alone.

Andreozzi + Foote lawyers offer experience and a trauma-informed approach when seeking justice for our clients.

How Can A Civil Lawsuit Help Victims Seek Justice For The Trauma They May Have Experienced From William Sperl?

There are many misunderstandings about why a survivor of sexual abuse would choose to file a civil lawsuit.   Child sexual abuse takes away so much from the survivors and families impacted. Our society still struggles to find ways to repair the harm done by individual perpetrators and institutions that have covered up child sexual abuse.  Outdated statutes of limitations across our country leave far too many survivors denied access to our criminal or civil justice courts.

Filing a civil case can be an essential step for survivors and their families in their journey to slowly rebuild their lives and create pathways to healing.  Motivation for filing a civil suit is often questioned and unfairly stereotyped as being “all about money. Filing a civil lawsuit can cast survivors as “money hungry” and is weaponized to shame and blame them even more. This couldn’t be further from the truth for survivors of child sexual abuse. The civil justice system offers victims more than just monetary benefits.  It gives survivors access to justice, validation, exposure, confrontation, and ultimately some resolution. The resolution allows survivors of sexual abuse to understand and process what happened and create a new path forward without confusion, questions, and fear.

Can I File A Lawsuit Against the School?

Yes. You may have rights if you were a victim of William Sperl while he was employed at Eastern Suffolk Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (B.O.C.E.S.)