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Headmaster of NYC’s prestigious Dalton School sexually abused 14-year-old student in 1980s: suit

The New York Daily News - 2/11/2021

The former headmaster of Manhattan’s elite Dalton School took a 14-year-old from a broken home under his wing in the 1980s and sexually abused her, a new lawsuit claims.

The alleged victim filed the suit against the Upper East Side school with $55,210 tuition and its ex-headmaster, Gardner Dunnan, in Manhattan Supreme Court under the Child Victims Act. The woman, who sued using her initials J.S., says she crossed paths in 1986 with Dunnan through her father’s then-girlfriend, who worked at the school.

The headmaster offered a life-changing opportunity: J.S. could stay in a guest room in Dunnan’s apartment near Dalton and attend the 9th grade tuition-free.

J.S. moved in — and Dunnan began fondling and abusing her, the lawsuit states.

“This initial sense of home and stability — the first real stability she experienced in her childhood — was ultimately shattered,” the suit filed by attorney Mariann Wang reads.

“She was confused and disturbed, but also did not know how to process what was going on or even really know what had happened, given that this was the Headmaster of her school and the person who had given her the opportunity to attend Dalton for free and otherwise seemed to welcome her into the school and his family.”

Dunnan allegedly abused J.S. on four separate occasions. Dunnan’s wife told J.S. she had to leave after nearly walking in on an abusive encounter, the lawsuit states. Her grades dropped and she transferred to another school.

Dunnan resigned in 1997 after it emerged he had an affair with a married teacher, according to a New York Times article.

“Mr. Dunnan adamantly denies Plaintiffs allegations and looks forward to his day in Court where he can prove his innocence of these charges,” his attorney has said.

J.S. originally filed the lawsuit in New Jersey Federal Court in 2018, prompting a legal dispute over venue.

J.S. “does not allege that she ever told anyone at Dalton about her allegations, either at the time she was a Dalton student or in the decades since,” the school wrote in legal papers.

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