Given the rarity of the Child Victims Act cases being tried, it is important to take note of the few that see their way to a jury verdict. Readers can compare two recent cases: T.F. v. Clarkstown Central School District, 032990/2021 (Sup. Ct., Rockland Co. 2021), in which the jury returned a defense verdict, and A.P. v. City of New York, 512233/2021 (Sup. Ct., Kings Co. 2020), purportedly the first CVA jury verdict in New York City, in which the jury returned an $18 million verdict for the plaintiff.
T.F. v. Clarkstown Central School District
In T.F. v. Clarkstown Central School District, the plaintiff alleged that he was sexually abused by his seventh-grade Spanish teacher during the 1984–1985 school year. According to the allegations, the abuse occurred approximately three times per week. The plaintiff claimed that the teacher regularly seated him in the back row of the classroom and, during examinations or independent assignments, would stand behind him, massage his back and