Laura Mangini of Alekman DiTusa and Alexander Sneirson of Sneirson Law Firm flank Alekman DiTusa partner Robert DiTusa as he discusses the settlement of a child sex abuse civil suit.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
SPRINGFIELD — The city of Springfield has reached a settlement with the families of two children in two civil suits stemming from 2023 criminal child sex abuse charges against Robert Gayle, a then-social studies teacher at STEM Middle Academy in Springfield.
While three victims have been identified in the criminal case against Gayle, Robert DiTusa, a partner at Alekman DiTusa, and Alexander Sneirson of Sneirson Law Firm represented two of them in the civil case. The criminal case against Gayle is ongoing.
The civil suits were filed in February 2025 against Gayle, the city, former Principal Luis Martinez and then-interim Principal Rhonda Jacobs. The latter three defendants were accused of negligence in not keeping the students safe, despite reports of inappropriate behavior from students, families and teachers.
The city of Springfield has agreed to pay $1.8 million to the family of one of the children and $13 million to the other family. The larger of the two settlements is the largest child sexual abuse settlement in the state’s history.
“These amounts reflect the harm done to the two children and their families, and they are also a testament to the strength of the survivors and their families, who had the bravery to speak out, seek justice and demand accountability,” said DiTusa.
Gayle was arrested in March 2023 when and charged with aggravated statutory rape of a child, indecent assault and battery of a person 14 or older. He has since also been charged with aggravated indecent assault and battery of a person under the age of 14. The assaults allegedly took place between 2021 and 2023.
Springfield City Solicitor Steve Buoniconti acknowledged the settlement in an email. He stated, “The negotiated settlements took into account the facts of the cases, the alleged harm perpetrated on the victims and the liability the city would face at trial. Families across the city entrust the school system to provide a safe environment for their children to learn and grow, and that obligation remains a central focus.”
DiTusa declared, “Every child has a right to be safe at school. The city of Springfield categorically failed in its responsibility to keep these children safe.” He said, “Child sexual abuse is an epidemic in our country. It is a serious public health crisis. Whether we’re talking about the Boy Scouts, the Catholic church, our schools or even a summer camp, it remains a consistent issue in our communities and in our institutions. It’s one that’s often shrouded in silence, in secrecy, in disbelief.”
Laura Mangini, of Alekman DiTusa said, in this case, there were “clear warning signs” and that the school system “ignored complaints from the students, they ignored complaints from teachers and staff and they ignored complaints from the parents, themselves.” She said Gayle had been reported by another teacher two years prior to his arrest for giving a student rides home. A different teacher reported him for allowing students to “hang out with him in his classroom.” Meanwhile, Mangini said, “multiple female students” told school councilors that Gayle was “creepy,” and that they were uncomfortable and needed help. She said they and their parents’ complaints were disbelieved.
Mangini said the hope was that there would be “real reform” beyond new policies, training sessions, with enforcement and “real strategies that put our children first.” In his email, Buoniconti said, “The School Department has invested significantly in programming and training so that all staff members are more educated on the signs of improper relationships between staff and students and report those concerns to the proper authorities right away, all in the effort of preventing future harm to students.”
DiTusa shared statistics about child sexual abuse, which occurs every nine minutes in the United States. He said 1-in-5 girls and 1-in-20 boys are sexually assaulted and 90% of them know their perpetrator. Victims are four times more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder, four times more likely to abuse drugs and three times more likely to experience depression in adulthood.
