ASHTABULA, Ohio — A lawsuit has been filed against the Ashtabula Area Schools and a former teacher and volleyball coach, Christine Seuffert.
The lawsuit claims that Christine Seuffert groomed multiple students and had inappropriate sexual relationships with several of them, and the district did not protect the children, despite suspecting Seuffert's misconduct in the late 1980s.
Six former students are part of the lawsuit; five males and one female.
"Christine Seuffert began the process of grooming Plaintiffs by allowing them to have access to her house and vehicle; providing alcohol to them; and engaging in provocative, sexual behavior and activity with them," said Eric Long of Friedman, Menashe, Nemecek & Long, who is representing the female plaintiff. "She was inviting students to her home. She was providing students alcohol. She was engaging in sexual misconduct with the students."
The lawsuit adds while the students were at Seuffert's house, she would provide them with alcohol, and alleges she engaged in inappropriate behavior with each of the plaintiffs, from touching to sexual intercourse.
"It escalated from allowing them access to her home with alcohol, to dressing provocatively in front of them, to allowing them to engage in sexual touching them, with one of my clients. She actually engaged in sexual activity beyond just the mere touching, actual intercourse and then with the female plaintiff in this matter, she began a, for lack of a better term, a long-term relationship with her," said Martin Desmond, who represents the five male plaintiffs.
According to the lawsuit, the female plaintiff and Seuffert's relationship was well-known throughout the district.
"The female plaintiff, her mother was calling the school inquiring about why this teacher was spending so much time with her daughter, and they would do nothing," said Desmond.
They are claiming the district knew about it but did not protect the students.
"There were certainly people within the district that knew had heard these rumors, and it was really a don't ask, don't tell policy," said Long. "The school just didn't take any steps whatsoever, and that's really the basis of the complaint against the school district."
Desmond added that all of the plaintiffs were athletes and were relying on athletic scholarships to go to college. He alleges when rumors spread regarding Seuffert and the students, other coaches asked the plaintiffs about it but told them they'd be punished if the rumors were true.
"They made it seem like they were the ones who were behaving inappropriately and threatening them. 'If this is true, we're going to throw you off the team,'" he said.
The lawsuit goes on to claim the plaintiffs suffered harm in the form of mental health, relationship and substance-abuse problems in the years since high school, but Seuffert continued to rise in the ranks at Ashtabula Schools, even becoming school board president.
The school district said it does not comment on current litigation, but does want to be transparent with the community.
After board members and administrators received an anonymous letter in Nov. 2021 about the alleged misconduct, the district said it launched an investigation. Upon its conclusion, it contacted the Ashtabula County Sheriff's Office in January 2022.
Seuffert was a board member at the time. A group of community members and the Ashtabula chapter of the NAACP called on her to step down from the position.
“To be in a position as a teacher, someone who’s supposed to nurture children was wrong. So the NAACP stepped in to make sure their rights were upheld,” said Liz Penna, the NAACP Ashtabula president.
In April 2022, the sheriff's office gave the case to the prosecutor's office, which chose not to pursue charges due to the statute of limitations expiring.
"The District will continue to cooperate fully with the legal process and will take all actions necessary to protect the interests of the District’s students," the statement read.
In July, Seuffert chose to officially resign from her position on the board.
Wednesday evening, current school board members declined to discuss the lawsuit and its allegations against the retired teacher. Board member Timothy Fleming implored his fellow members to address the topic, but board president William Niemi reiterated the district's policy not to comment on ongoing litigation.
Likewise, members of the public were told not to discuss specific employees during the public comment period.
Despite the warning, Rashaad Bell said, “Understand that unless someone stands up and says something, then they’re going to continue doing it. They’re going to continue doing these things.”
Bell was warned again by a sheriff's deputy before his time expired. He told News 5 one of the plaintiffs in the case is a family friend and well known throughout the district.
"I hope he gets the justice he deserves. They can’t take back what they did to him," Bell said. "All they can do is say sorry. You guys won’t even admit to your wrongs. And that is where it needs to stop.”
Several others at Wednesday's meeting declined to go on camera but told News 5 Seuffert was well-respected in the Ashtabula community. Some said they were skeptical about the allegations leveled against her.
However, the plaintiffs' attorneys believe more victims will come forward in the near future.
"It does take a lot of strength to stand up and make this, you know, engage in this type of a fight. And so, you know, I give them a lot of credit for being willing to do that," said Desmond.
News 5 attempted to contact Seuffert several times, but she could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
