Former Librarian Sues School over Firing after Sex Abuse Case

WBAL
March 13, 2015

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/former-librarian-sues-school-over-firing-after-sex-abuse-case/31774264

[with video]

A Baltimore City school is being sued over a sex abuse case involving a teacher and a student by the librarian who reported the abuse.

Annette Goodman has a new job, but she's not over how she was fired from her last one as librarian at Archbishop Curley High School.

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"They did it in a way that really wasn't necessary. They published her name in the newspaper and treated her as if she was a wrongdoer," said Goodman's attorney, Linda Correia.

Correia is helping Goodman sue the school and the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

On March 6, 2014, Goodman said she had heard that a Curley teacher, Lynette Trotta, was having sex with a student who was a minor. Goodman said she later confirmed it through that student. She reported it to school leadership on April 1.

Trotta, who pleaded guilty and is on probation, was fired, but Goodman was also fired because the archdiocese said she took too long to report the abuse.

"The archdiocese and its schools conduct extensive training with all employees and volunteers on child abuse prevention and reporting. Employees know that Maryland state law and school policies require immediate reports to civil authorities followed by a written report within 48 hours of learning of a suspicion of child abuse. We do not believe we should pay an award to someone who knowingly fails to report child abuse for weeks," the Archdiocese of Baltimore said in a statement to 11 News.

In the lawsuit, Goodman claims she did not know about that 48-hour reporting law. Correia said she had good reason to wait.

'She wanted to be sure that what she was reporting to the school administrators wasn't just rumor. This is a very serious allegation," Correia said.

Goodman also claims another teacher at Curley had already raised concerns to school leadership about Trotta's alleged relationship with the student.

Goodman is suing based on Title 9 federal law, which prohibits schools from retaliating against someone who reports such abuse.

"She was fired, she thinks, because the school was trying to deflect its own responsibility for not responding to known problems with this teacher," Correia said.

Goodman is seeking an undisclosed amount of money in the lawsuit.