Sidwell Friends School sued for $10 million over alleged affair

[proud2BlibKansan]

Sidwell Friends School is being sued for $10 million for allegedly failing to supervise a staff psychologist who was having an affair with the married mother of a 5-year-old student he was counseling.

The woman’s husband and girl’s father, Arthur G. “Terry” Newmyer, made the allegations in a lawsuit filed Thursday in D.C. Superior Court, in which he also said that he had alerted the school to the alleged affair over the course of a year. In his lawsuit, Newmyer said his daughter suffered emotional distress as the affair became known among teachers and other parents.

Ellis Turner, a spokesman for Sidwell, said that “we are very disappointed that Mr. Newmyer chose this course of action” and said the school would “vigorously defend” against allegations that are “completely without merit.”

The counseling sessions with the child occurred off school property, the lawsuit states. But Newmyer’s wife, Tara Newmyer, said through an attorney that the school psychologist, identified in the lawsuit as James F. “Jack” Huntington, was not treating her daughter “in any professional capacity.”

more . . . http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/sidwell-friends-school-sued-for-10-million-over-alleged-affair/2011/05/12/AFnsjX1G_story.html?tid=obinsite

[Boojatta]

1. If you behave unprofessionally, then can you dodge responsibility with that line?

was not treating her daughter “in any professional capacity.”

[pnwmom]

3. This is about the SCHOOL BOARD being sued, not the employee.

I think this is a "deep pockets" situation.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. If he wasn't treating her daughter professionally, then how can the affair be 'unprofessional'?

That would be the argument. The suit claims he was counseling the girl.

[Happyhippychick]

10. I can actually answer that. It is unethical for a mental health professional to have a sexual

relationship with a patient or a close member of the patient's family, that is in our code of ethics. However the code of ethics extends to the professional, not the the place of employment. Sidwell should be kept out of it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. He claims she was not his patient

He says he was not treating her professionally. Or, to be precise, the mother says that:

But Newmyer’s wife, Tara Newmyer, said through an attorney that the school psychologist, identified in the lawsuit as James F. “Jack” Huntington, was not treating her daughter “in any professional capacity.”

[Happyhippychick]

18. It would be pretty bad form if he was so I hope that is the case.

[msanthrope]

15. This guy has some long-standing issues with Sidwell, apparently--

Arthur Newmyer is an entrepreneur whose family has had a long association with Sidwell, where an annual award to honor volunteerism carries his family’s name. In his suit, however, Newmyer said that he had objected to enrolling his daughter at Sidwell and told his wife that she would have to cover the tuition. The girl remains in kindergarten at the school, the lawsuit states.

SNIP-

Tara Newmyer’s attorney, Kristin Henrikson, said her client and Huntington became romantically involved while the Newmyers were separated.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/sidwell-friends-school-sued-for-10-million-over-alleged-affair/2011/05/12/AFnsjX1G_story.html?tid=obinsite

[Happyhippychick]

2. How is the school responsible for the actions of two consenting adults??

Put the blame on the psychologist and the wife but stop with the frivolous lawsuits.

[pnwmom]

4. Lawyers like to go after defendants with deeper pockets.

And sometimes those people will settle just to avoid the publicity.

This does seem terribly unfair; there's no way a school board can regulate all the off-campus, non-school related behavior of its employees.

[tammywammy]

5. Agreed n/t

[Happyhippychick]

9. Yes you are correct. It makes me so angry, though, because the school suffers.

[NotThisTime]

6. That's my question? 2 consenting adults who happened to have ties with Sidwell and the news makes it

here... well, I hate to say that two Fort Myers teachers were caught in the act in school by a student and there were no law suits... I don't think I saw that here... Since when the hell did we become the morality police, and for the record I'm appalled that the two teachers were caught in the damn building and by a student! Now that should have received news coverage. The should have taken it somewhere else....

[msanthrope]

14. Well, the news makes it here simply because this is where President Obama sends his kids.

And some posters have issue with that.

[AngryAmish]

11. A corporation is liable for the actions of their employees

[msanthrope]

16. True, but how do you prove this happened in the course of employment?

The shrink, mother, and school state the kid was never a patient, and the best the father can do is claim that the kid was a patient off school grounds.

Read the whole article--this guy sounds like a real prince.

[Happyhippychick]

17. He wasn't having a sexual relationship with the child at the school so Sidwell has nothing to do

with it. It is unethical for him to have a relationship with a patient's mother but unethical does not equal illegal.

[JI7]

8. this makes me hate the guy suing

like where does he get off thinking he deserves 10million because of what happened which was between 2 adults.

[Enrique]

13. "his daughter suffered emotional distress"

maybe, but I wonder if Arthur's own emotional distress has something to do with it too...