Second lawsuit filed amid sexual abuse allegations at day care

Worker at Bright Horizons fired after complaint; no charges filed

BALDWIN PARK, Fla. – Bright Horizons school in Orlando is in the spotlight again.

A second lawsuit has been filed against the school.

Jeff Herman is representing the families filing the lawsuits.

For the second time in about a month, he stood in front of Bright Horizons school in the Baldwin Park community demanding answers.

"They're filing it because this may be their only measure of justice. They're giving their child a voice and what happened to their son should not have happened," said Herman.

It was June 1 when the first lawsuit was filed.

Weeks prior, Bright Horizons had fired a teacher after sexual abuse allegations were made.

The director was put on leave and the Department of Children and Families began to investigate.

The director has since resigned.

"These cases, I think, are always difficult for police because the burden of proof is high. It's beyond a reasonable doubt. It's a criminal case. And when you have little kids, it's a he said/he said in this case they want to make sure that they cover all their bases," said Herman.

The lawsuit claims the former teacher inappropriately touched and interacted with two of his students, both boys between the ages of 3 and 4.

The first lawsuit was filed by a mother who says her 3-year-old told her detailed information about the teacher.
"He had color descriptions, locations. Very descriptive. Things that he wouldn't have even been aware of," said the mother.

Since May, News 6 has asked the school about its teacher-student policy and questions about the alleged abuse.

Those questions have not been answered.

We were sent a statement from the school's media representative that said:

"We have been working closely with DCF on a situation that was reported to us in May and have been fully supporting DCF in that investigation.

We have been communicating with families at the center throughout this process.

We have not received the legal complaint that was shared with the news media today.

We have no information that there are any developments in the investigations being conducted by the authorities. In the meantime, we remain focused on the children and families at the center and our dedicated and hard-working teachers who are maintaining great learning environments and care for children."

A representative with DCF said they are close to wrapping up their investigation.

Orlando police said the case is still under investigation and they could not talk any further about their findings.
Herman hopes to begin depositions next month.

He said more victims could come forward in the future.


About the Authors:

Cathleigh is a newscast producer and has been with News 6 since 2014. She graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in communications, with a focus in broadcast journalism. Cathleigh produces the 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. newscasts.

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