Second Adass Israel School Student to Sue after $1m Abuse Payout
By Patrick Hatch
A second former Adass Israel Girls School student is suing over sexual abuse allegedly suffered at the hands of the school's fugitive principal. On Wednesday the school was ordered in Melbourne's Supreme Court to pay over a million dollars in compensation to a woman for abuse she suffered at the school. The court heard the woman, now 28, was regularly abused by former principal Malka Leifer between 2003 and 2006 at the school in Elsternwick, at the principal's home and on school camps.
Justice Jack Rush found the abuse had a profound effect of the on the woman, included flashbacks, nightmares and persistent depression. In a landmark ruling, he ordered the ultra-orthodox Jewish school to pay the victim a total of $1,024,428 for her ongoing suffering, economic loss and medical expenses. It is one of the largest ever payouts in a child sex abuse case in Victoria. Nick Mazzeo, from Lennon Mazzeo lawyers, represented the woman in the first trial and said he had been engaged by another of Mrs Leifer's alleged victims. "The client is another former student and a former teacher from the school," Mr Mazzeo said. He said the second case was in its early stages. During the first trial it emerged that members of a school committee quickly arranged for Mrs Leifer to fly out of Australia days after abuse allegations were raised. Calling the school's actions "deplorable" and "disgraceful", Justice Rush ordered the school to pay $100,000 in exemplary damages for this behaviour alone. Mrs Leifer was arrested in Israel in August 2014 and is under house arrest while Australian authorities try to extradite her. The mother of eight is wanted in Victoria on 74 counts of sexual assault.
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