Hotchkiss School Report Details Decades of Alleged Sexual Abuse by Former Faculty

An independent investigation into the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut revealed allegations that seven former faculty members sexually abused at least 16 students between 1969 and 1992. The findings, released in a 2018 report commissioned by the Connecticut school and conducted by the law firm Locke Lord LLP, documented decades of alleged abuse and raised questions about the school’s response to reports of misconduct.

Independent Investigation Revealed Alleged Abuse at the Hotchkiss School

The Hotchkiss School, an elite boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut, commissioned an independent investigation after former students came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct involving former faculty members. The investigation included interviews with more than 150 individuals, including alumni and former employees. 

The resulting report, released in 2018, substantiated allegations involving 16 former students and seven former faculty members, including teachers, an athletic director, a choral director, and a medical director. Three other individuals who were “formerly part of the Hotchkiss community” were not named in the report, but investigators found the reports detailing their abuse “highly credible.” According to the investigation, the documented misconduct allegedly occurred over a period spanning more than two decades, from 1969 through 1992. 

Investigators also examined the Hotchkiss School’s response to reports of abuse. The report concluded that school administrators were aware of at least some instances of alleged sexual misconduct while they were occurring and identified several missed opportunities to intervene, including alleged failures to report misconduct to law enforcement or child protection authorities and failed efforts to address allegations internally.

Faculty Members Named in the Hotchkiss Report

The investigation described multiple forms of alleged sexual misconduct at Hotchkiss School involving former faculty members, including allegations of inappropriate touching and sexual intercourse with students. The report stated that many of the alleged victims were vulnerable young people who placed significant trust in their teachers and mentors.

Among those identified in the report was former classics teacher Leif Thorne-Thomsen, who worked at Hotchkiss from 1964 until 1992. Investigators alleged that he exploited relationships of trust with students, including several who had previously experienced trauma. After divorcing his first wife in 1984, Thorne-Thomsen went on to marry two of his former students.

“Thorne-Thomsen would ingratiate himself with them by sharing personal details about his life and coax them into believing that he was relying on them for emotional support,” the report states. “He used the trust these students placed in him as a teacher and mentor to engage in repeated acts of sexual misconduct.”

The report also discussed allegations involving former English teacher Roy Smith, who taught at the school from 1970 until 2000. Prior to the release of the investigative report, a former student identified as “John Doe” filed a lawsuit against both Smith and Hotchkiss, alleging sexual abuse by Smith, who passed away in 2014.

Civil Lawsuits Seek Accountability for Alleged Abuse at Hotchkiss School

Both before and after the publication of the 2018 investigative report, the Hotchkiss School and certain former faculty members were implicated in civil lawsuits filed by former students. These lawsuits allege not only sexual abuse by individual employees of the school but also institutional failures that allegedly allowed misconduct to continue.

Unlike criminal proceedings, civil lawsuits focus on whether an individual or institution may be legally responsible for the harm allegedly suffered by survivors. Depending on the circumstances, survivors may seek compensation for medical expenses, therapy costs, emotional distress, lost income, and other damages related to the alleged abuse.

Understanding the Lasting Impact of the Hotchkiss Allegations

The findings of the Hotchkiss School investigation brought renewed attention to allegations of sexual abuse at one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious private boarding schools, following a similar pattern at private schools like Choate Rosemary Hall and Interlochen Center for the Arts. “For many graduates, Hotchkiss was a wonderful experience, yet a significant number of former students recounted enduring sexual abuse at the hands of faculty,” the report states. 

“We are deeply and truly sorry for the enduring pain suffered as a result of the behavior outlined in the report,” the President of the Board of Trustees Jean Weinberg Rose and the Head of School Craig W. Bradley said in a statement to the Hotchkiss community in 2018. “We cannot say that enough, even though we know that words can bring only limited comfort to those who were harmed and cannot undo the impact of these actions on those individuals and on the Hotchkiss community.”