A second civil lawsuit against Perkiomen School has surfaced. Late in the summer, a former female student filed a federal case in which she alleged sexual abuse by a male student in a dormitory at the school, located at 200 Seminary Street in Pennsburg.

            The suit, filed Aug. 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, identifies the school as the defendant. It states that the assault of an athlete, who was 17 at the time, occurred inside a dorm room at Kriebel Hall earlier this year.

            A copy of the 27-page complaint, that proceeds the recent Montgomery County Common Pleas Court filing involving the alleged sexual assault of 7-year-old child by a 12-year-old at the school in February by four months, arrived Monday afternoon at the Town and Country newspaper through the mail in a manila envelope.  The.document was received at the Milford Square Post Office three days earlier.

            Marni S. Berger, the lawyer for the plaintiff, described it as a negligent security case during a phone interview late Monday afternoon. She argued that school administrators didn't do enough to keep students of opposite sexes apart.

            "Everything my client went through was completely avoidable," said Berger, a partner at Anapol Weiss.

            The document identifies the victim, currently 18 years old, as Jane Doe and a citizen of a European country. It claims that Head of School Mark Devey, Assistant Head of School for Student Life Amber Goupil and Director of Safety and Security Don Bell, had the authority and responsibility to maintain a safe and secure campus, including addressing harassment -- sexual or otherwise -- and to institute corrective measures.

            The suit claims that administrators acted permissively regarding underage drinking on campus. It also alleges that school officials had actual or constructive notice of harassment and inappropriate conduct of the male student who assaulted the plaintiff.

            Further, it claims that administrators had not done enough to stop students from leaving their dorms during "lights out" periods. 

            The suit also describes the lack of functioning surveillance and security cameras, along with an absence of overnight personnel assigned to patrol campus and the total number of security on campus as "grossly inadequate."

            In the early morning hours of May 5, the victim met the alleged perpetrator in his dorm room. His roommate was not present.

            He handed the victim a bottle of New Amsterdam Peach Vodka and asked her to watch a movie. A few minutes in, he attempted to kiss the plaintiff, and she directly pulled away, according to the legal document.

            The male student allegedly continued his unwanted advances, including digitally penetrating her. The victim, who burst into tears, desperately tried to contact a friend to help her leave. But the friend never responded and she lied dormant in great fear of further assault until going back to her room.

            The following day, the victim disclosed the assault to her advisor. She then met with Goupil, turned over the bottle of alcohol that she suspected of being spiked. However, the girl never learned if administrators attempted to discover if Rohypnol or any other controlled substances were added, according to court records.

            School officials reported the assault to Child Protective services and the Upper Perk Police Department. Chief Joe Adam did not return an email message seeking comment.

            On May 11, the victim learned she was being forced to leave Perkiomen School before the end of the school year. The news left her completely devastated and disheartened by the news.

            Email correspondence indicates that the school did not want to "support" the girl, and that she was "in the realm of discipline." Administrators explained that because a leave of absence was required, the same rules apply as if she were suspended or expelled, according to the language of the suit,

            When she got home, the victim began to have nightmares and was forced to address feelings of revictimization because of being forced to abruptly leave school. The victim then participated in commencement after the school paid to fly her and her mother at the invitation of Devey, the lawsuit states.