A woman from Amherst, Mass., is suing the town’s public schools, the town of Amherst and her assailant, alleging that an assault by a former volunteer assistant varsity basketball coach at Amherst Regional High School left her with lasting emotional damages.
The lawsuit, which was obtained by the Daily Hampshire Gazette, claims the plaintiff sustained permanent emotional injuries, social discomfort and loss of enjoyment of life due to the actions of Anthony Floria Jr.
Florio had already pleaded guilty in January of 2019 to multiple child abuse charges stemming from incidents involving the plaintiff when she was a student at the high school between September 2016 and April of 2017.
The lawsuit alleges that “Amherst Pelham Regional School District’s failure to adequately protect the plaintiff was the direct and proximate cause of her being sexually assaulted and raped by the defendant.”
The civil complaint, which seeks a jury trial, contains five counts apiece against the schools and the town and six counts against Florio.
The school district has refused to comment on the matter.
After pleading guilty to charges of enticement of a child under the age of 16, Florio was sentenced to three to five years in state prison. He was also sentenced to six years of probation on the child rape charge, as well as six years of probation on each of the three counts of disseminating obscene materials harmful to a minor.
