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A dozen former students have filed a lawsuit against the McDonogh School, accusing the private institution of gross negligence in handling sexual abuse by staff members between the 1960s and 1980s, the Baltimore Sun reported.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Baltimore County, names four faculty members and alleges that even “minimal diligence” would have been enough for the Owings Mills school to uncover the abuse. Instead, the lawsuit claims, McDonogh “did nothing to stop them.”
This marks the second lawsuit filed against McDonogh this month and the fifth since Maryland’s Child Victims Act was signed into law in 2023. The legislation, which eliminated the state’s statute of limitations on child sex abuse claims, was enacted shortly after a sweeping report detailed decades of abuse within Baltimore’s archdiocese.
The 12 plaintiffs, who attended McDonogh between 1964 and 1988, now reside across the country, including in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida, and Arizona.
Most of the alleged abuse involves former dean Alvin J. Levy and Spanish teacher Robert Creed, both of whom have previously been named in claims against the school. However, Monday’s lawsuit also names two staff members who had not been publicly accused before: English teacher Bart Harrison and a former staff member named Josette McMillan.
Details regarding McMillan’s role and tenure at McDonogh remain unclear, as the school’s communications team did not respond to inquiries about her career. Harrison, on the other hand, had a long and well-regarded history at McDonogh. His 37-year career was commemorated as recently as last year during the school’s annual Dedication Day Ceremony. A now-deleted press release from the event described Harrison as having an “eccentric, colorful” personality and being one of the educators students would “remember for the rest of their lives.” Harrison retired in 1974 and passed away from a heart attack in 1989.
The lawsuit does not specify the nature of the alleged abuse, but Harrison was accused of misconduct by two former students, while McMillan was named by one.
McDonogh spokesperson Brooke Blumberg issued a statement acknowledging the lawsuit and reinforcing the school’s commitment to supporting survivors.
“We take all allegations very seriously and remain steadfast in our support for survivors while complying with applicable laws,” Blumberg stated.
In 2019, McDonogh hired New York-based firm T&M Protection Resources to investigate its history of sexual abuse. The firm’s report found that five staff members had allegedly assaulted two dozen students over multiple decades, including Levy and Creed. The identities of the other three individuals named in the report were not disclosed, and McDonogh officials declined to confirm whether Harrison or McMillan were among them.
McDonogh has now been sued multiple times for failing to protect its students from what plaintiffs describe as a long-standing pattern of abuse. Levy, who was indicted on sexual abuse charges in 1992, died before his trial. Creed pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree sexual offense and abuse of a minor in 1985. He has also since died.
One of the lawsuits, filed on March 11 in the U.S. District Court for Maryland, specifically argues that the school was aware of Levy’s potential for harm but failed to act.
“Instead of cutting the cancer out, the school, board members, administrators, and teachers, chose — and it was a choice — silence and inaction,” the lawsuit states.
If McDonogh is found at fault across all five lawsuits, the school could be required to pay over a million dollars in damages. Monday’s lawsuit alone seeks damages exceeding $75,000 for each of the 12 plaintiffs, which is the highest specific amount permitted in a Maryland civil suit.
The Child Victims Act places a cap of $1.5 million for claims against private entities.
