A teen who has accused Charles Pugh of having an inappropriate relationship with him, filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the the ex-Detroit City Council president and placed some blame on the school district.
The teen, who is not named in the lawsuit, and is referred to as "K.S.", accuses the Detroit Public Schools and officials of "failing to adequately investigate or act upon information brought to the attention of administrators regarding the abuse of plaintiff."
Pugh fled the state last year when the allegations first surfaced about a possible inappropriate relationship with the student, who is now 19. Pugh abandoned his post as president of the council. He eventually ended up in New York in Harlem, according to the lawsuit.
Michelle Zdrodowski, a spokesperson for the district, did not immediately return a call for comment.
The allegations stem from the then-high school senior at the Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men, who was required as part of graduation to attend the Charles Pugh Leadership Forum.
Pugh apparently took a liking to the teen and started buying him gifts like a cell phone, clothes and cash, the lawsuit said. He also helped him with getting a job, frequently texted him sexual comments and once placed his hand in the groin area, the lawsuit stated.
The suit also stated that Pugh coerced the teen into making a video tape of himself masturbating. The teen told Pugh he needed $160, and Pugh said he would only give it if him made a video.
The lawsuit alleges that administrators knew that Pugh had a reputation for coming on to male students and by nature of his position as president of the forum, he was given unprecedented access and control over male students" at the school "without any form of supervision, monitoring or control by DPS (Detroit Public Schools). The plaintiff's parents entrusted the control of plaintiff to DPS."
In May 2013, the lawsuit states that the teen's mother contacted Monique McMurty, an assistant principal at the teen's school, and expressed concerns about Pugh and her son and after school contact. McMurty, according to the lawsuit, told the mother that her "parental concerns had not been forgotten. "
Beside Pugh and the Detroit Public Schools, the suit names as defendants, former school Emergency Managers Roy Roberts and Robert Bobb, high school Principal Berry Greer and assistant Principal McMurty . The lawsuit suggests that the officials either knew of Pugh's reputation or specifics.
The suit goes on to say that the school system and employees were aware of "Pugh's physicality, favoritism, and sexual harassment toward certain students, and particularly plaintiff."
It goes on to say that the employees allowed Pugh to place construction paper over the windows to the entry doors of the classroom "to obscure events taking place within."
"This is not much different than the other cases we've seen," said the teen's attorney William R. Seiklay. "Pugh grooming this student and others is classic."
"People who worked for Pugh, and others, were well aware of what was happening and did nothing," he said.
