Poly Prep Country Day School is facing their second round of lawsuit after an ex-student filed it against the Head Coach on Thursday. The victim said that the coach assaulted her through the 1980s when she was a student at Poly Prep. The lawsuit was filed under the new Child Victims Act. She was assaulted for two years by the coach of the tennis team.
William Martire, who presently runs tennis camps for children from 3 through 17, was described by the victim as a pervert who verbally abused her and forced her to perform indecent acts. The victim who goes by the name Jane Roe on the court records said that she was groped by Martire.
The victim was warned about Martire's behaviour
The lawsuit mentioned that the victim joined the tennis team as a freshman in school. She was warned by the other girls on the team that Martire was a pervert. The victim had also participated in a clinic held by the accused in Kings Highway in Flatbush. The coach started behaving indecently towards her by making indecent comments such as asking her to wear tighter clothes after she joined the team. It also claims that by March or April of her freshman year Roe was groped by the coach and he made remarks about her having a "nice chest".
The victim said that during the summer camp hosted by Martire between her freshman year and sophomore year, he took her to a deserted location and forced her to perform oral sex on him. He was seen to wear tighter clothes which made the students uncomfortable. The terrified victim who is in her mid 40's now had contacted her parents back then to come and take her home. According to the lawsuit, as the victim of the assault, she was embarrassed and told her parents that she was not getting along with the other girls in the camp.
The abuse occurred on multiple occasions
The lawsuit mentioned that the abuse continued on multiple occasions and alleges that the assistant headmaster Steven Anderson, who was previously a coach, had walked in on Martire shortly after an episode of abuse and took no action regarding the matter. When Martire said he wanted to take her to a hotel room to have a sexual relationship with her, the victim quit tennis.
She claims that she did not talk about the abuse because she thought that no one would believe her and the accused would deny her allegations. The victim came forward after another sexual assault incident in Poly Prep came out last month. The prolonged abuse has caused the victim to have lifelong trauma including eating disorders.
Poly Prep's assurance to the school community
Poly Prep on Thursday assured that the matter would be taken seriously and that there would be an investigation from the school's side regarding the matter. The lawsuit also alleges that there have been sexual assaults on the children for a very long time in the school. Poly Prep was sued by a previous student who is in his mid-60's now, under New York's new Child Victims Act, on the claims of abuse by a Bible study teacher.
