Former Asheville boarding school settles sex abuse case
By Andrew James
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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — A settlement has been reached between a school that used to operate in Asheville and a former student who alleged sexual abuse by a former school employee in the 1980s.
“During that time, she experienced inappropriate sexual misconduct by Pamela K. Herrington,” Attorney Jonathan Shbeeb said of Rachel Howald.
The Ben Lippen School was in Asheville until it moved to South Carolina, and Howald was a student at the school during the 1980s. The lawsuit alleges Herrington sexually assaulted Howald multiple times, using her position as a teacher and coach to commit the acts on campus, in school vehicles and at Howald’s home.
“It was a boarding school, and, at that point, she was an off-campus student. But she would stay the night from time to time She played on the sports teams there, went to school there, had a lot of interactions with the students and the perpetrator there,” Shbeeb said of Howald.
While the details of the settlement remain confidential, Shbeeb said the deal is a step toward justice for Howald.
“We see this as a big victory, you know. With all these cases still pending, it’s a huge victory to say, ‘Yes, we’ve been able to settle at least this big one against the school,’” he said.
The lawsuit was filed in January 2021 as a result of the North Carolina Safe Child Act, which allowed victims of sexual abuse who had aged out of the statute of limitations two years to take legal action.
“We’re really hoping that this at least raises awareness for sexual misconduct, sexual abuse, inappropriate behaviors, as well as boundary violations, against children,” Shbeeb said.
The settlement is between the school and Howald. Howald’s legal team said it will continue its case against Herrington.
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