Current:Home > NewsHe moved into his daughter’s dorm and acted like a cult leader. Abused students now suing college -FutureWise Finance
He moved into his daughter’s dorm and acted like a cult leader. Abused students now suing college
View
Date:2025-04-12 19:55:58
NEW YORK (AP) — Two former students are suing Sarah Lawrence College, arguing the New York school failed to protect them from Lawrence Ray, who moved into his daughter’s dorm after getting out of prison and then manipulated her friends and roommates into cult-like relationships.
Ray was convicted last year of charges including racketeering, conspiracy, forced labor and sex trafficking after weeks of testimony chronicling his manipulative relationship with young people in his daughter’s circle.
Some said they were coerced into prostitution or turned over earnings and savings to Ray over abusive relationships that lasted for years.
Ray was sentenced in January to 60 years in prison by a judge who called him an “evil genius” who used sadism and psychological torture to control his victims.
The plaintiffs, who also include the sister of one of the students, allege in a lawsuit filed late last month that Sarah Lawrence was partly to blame for their ordeal.
The lawsuit says Ray made little attempt to hide the fact that he had moved in with his daughter in 2010 after finishing a prison sentence for securities fraud, and was allowed to remain on the campus “while he committed acts of manipulation, grooming, sexual abuse, food deprivation and sleep deprivation.”
They say college officials ignored the presence of a then-50-year-old man who moved into his daughter’s dormitory and “immediately integrated himself into the lives of the young people who lived in it.”
A college spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that the school had “deep sympathy” for Ray’s victims, but that it wouldn’t comment on the litigation “beyond noting that we believe the facts will tell a different story than the unproven allegations made in the complaint that has been filed.”
Ray lived in the dorm for nearly an entire academic year, the lawsuit says, and during that time several students, community members and parents contacted the college to complain about Ray’s abusive behavior, yet the college “did nothing to investigate or intervene to prevent harm to Plaintiffs.”
The plaintiffs say Ray made himself so thoroughly at home that he once set off a fire alarm by cooking a meal.
Ray was the only person in the dorm room when firefighters and college security arrived, the lawsuit says, and no one from the college asked Ray what he was doing there. Nor was he monitored after the fire “to ensure he was not residing at the dormitory with the college students,” according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs in the Nov. 21 civil lawsuit say they were abused and manipulated by Ray for years after leaving college in locations including a Manhattan condominium and a home in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for their pain and suffering as well as health care costs and lost potential income.
veryGood! (3922)
Related
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
- The ancient practice of tai chi is more popular than ever. Why?
- Real Housewives of New York City Star’s Pregnancy Reveal Is Not Who We Expected
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Veterans Day restaurant deals 2024: More than 80 discounts, including free meals
- Burger King is giving away a million Whoppers for $1: Here's how to get one
- Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira set to be sentenced, could get up to 17 years in prison
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Celtics' Jaylen Brown calls Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo a 'child' over fake handshake
Ranking
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Why was Jalen Ramsey traded? Dolphins CB facing former team on 'Monday Night Football'
- Britney Spears Reunites With Son Jayden Federline After His Move to Hawaii
- Eminem, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, N.W.A. and Janet Jackson get Songwriters Hall of Fame nods
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- What’s the secret to growing strong, healthy nails?
- Sam LaPorta injury update: Lions TE injures shoulder, 'might miss' Week 11
- Taylor Swift's Dad Scott Swift Photobombs Couples Pic With Travis Kelce
Recommendation
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
Brands Our Editors Are Thankful For in 2024
Klay Thompson returns to Golden State in NBA Cup game. How to watch
Trump has promised to ‘save TikTok’. What happens next is less clear
Small twin
Lions QB Jared Goff, despite 5 interceptions, dared to become cold-blooded
NFL Week 10 winners, losers: Cowboys' season can no longer be saved
Georgia House Republicans stick with leadership team for the next two years