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Trial nears in sex abuse at deaf school | argusleader.com | Argus Leader
A lawsuit over alleged sexual abuse at the South Dakota School for the Deaf is scheduled to go to trial in one week.
Former students who say they were abused by a 17-year-old student during the 2002-03 school year sued bus company Jack Rabbit Lines, the Board of Regents, and the school and its former superintendent, Jon Green, for failing to respond to reports of abuse.
The case is scheduled for a three-week jury trial in Minnehaha County Circuit Court beginning June 9.
At a motions hearing on Friday, lawyers argued a variety of trial issues, including who should have to attend.
Kenneth Dewell, a lawyer for the three plaintiff former students, said they did not plan to show up for trial. Instead, he wanted to show the jury videotaped interviews about the alleged abuse.
For one accuser in particular, Dewell said, the court would be "traumatizing him again" by asking him to talk again about something that happened five years ago.
Mark Marshall, a lawyer for the deaf school, argued that the accusers are all adults now and that the defendants should have the opportunity to face their accusers.
"It's not fair for the defendants to have ... adults asking for millions of dollars from them without seeing and hearing from them," he said.
Marshall and Shawn Nichols, a lawyer for the bus company, asked the judge to require the other two accusers to appear in court for cross-examination.
Judge Stuart Tiede said he would rule on the request Monday.
Tiede added that he is concerned about finding interpreters for those involved in the trial. The plaintiffs and some of the defendants are deaf or hard of hearing, and the court so far has resisted hiring American Sign Language interpreters with ties to the deaf school.
A lawsuit over alleged sexual abuse at the South Dakota School for the Deaf is scheduled to go to trial in one week.
Former students who say they were abused by a 17-year-old student during the 2002-03 school year sued bus company Jack Rabbit Lines, the Board of Regents, and the school and its former superintendent, Jon Green, for failing to respond to reports of abuse.
The case is scheduled for a three-week jury trial in Minnehaha County Circuit Court beginning June 9.
At a motions hearing on Friday, lawyers argued a variety of trial issues, including who should have to attend.
Kenneth Dewell, a lawyer for the three plaintiff former students, said they did not plan to show up for trial. Instead, he wanted to show the jury videotaped interviews about the alleged abuse.
For one accuser in particular, Dewell said, the court would be "traumatizing him again" by asking him to talk again about something that happened five years ago.
Mark Marshall, a lawyer for the deaf school, argued that the accusers are all adults now and that the defendants should have the opportunity to face their accusers.
"It's not fair for the defendants to have ... adults asking for millions of dollars from them without seeing and hearing from them," he said.
Marshall and Shawn Nichols, a lawyer for the bus company, asked the judge to require the other two accusers to appear in court for cross-examination.
Judge Stuart Tiede said he would rule on the request Monday.
Tiede added that he is concerned about finding interpreters for those involved in the trial. The plaintiffs and some of the defendants are deaf or hard of hearing, and the court so far has resisted hiring American Sign Language interpreters with ties to the deaf school.