Teens sue St. Ann's over teacher's 'revenge porn blast'

"BROOKLYN HEIGHTS - TWO TEENAGE GIRLS have launched a lawsuit in Brooklyn federal court against St. Ann's School, former St. Ann's teacher Winston Nguyen and several of the school's then-administrators, the New York Times reports , following Nguyen's guilty plea last year to enticing middle schoolers into sending him naked photos on social media. The girls, who did not attend St. Ann's, say Nguyen shared "a revenge porn blast with dozens of explicit pictures," and allege that the school failed in its safeguarding duties."

"According to a report commissioned by the school last year , administrators were warned at several junctures about concerns regarding Nguyen, who had been previously convicted of a felony after scamming an elderly couple out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. He was hired over objections from other staff members, while parents who complained were reportedly accused of racism. Nguyen was allegedly known to be giving gifts to students and to be occasionally sleeping in the school."

"The lawsuit describes a pattern of escalating demands for photos and sex acts by Nguyen, who was posing as a fellow student. "The girls felt pressure to comply because they perceived Nguyen to be a peer in their social circles with significant social clout given his account's large network of Saint Ann's connections," the suit reads. After the girls began to refuse his requests, the teacher then shared their pictures with his own students."

Two teenage girls filed a federal lawsuit alleging St. Ann's School and former teacher Winston Nguyen failed to safeguard students after Nguyen solicited naked photos from middle schoolers and distributed them. A school-commissioned report found administrators were warned repeatedly about Nguyen, who had a prior felony conviction for scamming an elderly couple, yet he was hired despite staff objections and parent complaints. The report noted allegations that Nguyen gave gifts to students and sometimes slept at the school. The lawsuit describes escalating demands made while Nguyen posed as a peer, and alleges the school did not promptly involve police.

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