A former Dalton School student who claimed that then headmaster Gardner P. Dunnan sexually assaulted her in 1986 has withdrawn her lawsuit against Dunnan and the school, according to court records. The agreement between the parties was signed on November 5, 2021 around nine months after the complaint was filed.
The first iteration of the lawsuit was filed in New Jersey federal court in June 2018. It was eventually transferred to the Southern District of New York and later withdrawn.
The most recent lawsuit was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court and brought under the Child Victims Act.
The allegations against Gardner Dunnan
The plaintiff was identified in the lawsuit as “J.S.”.
According to the complaint, J.S. and her father met with Dunnan in the summer of 1986. Shortly after the meeting, J.S. was offered free admission to Dalton and room and board at Dunnan’s Upper East Side apartment. As part of the arrangement, J.S. was supposed to assist Dunnan’s wife with household tasks and babysitting.
J.S. moved into Dunnan’s apartment and began attending classes at Dalton in September 1986. She was 14 years old at the time. J.S. alleged that Dunnan sexually assaulted her on four separate occasions over the next several months. The alleged incidents are described in an earlier post.
Dunnan’s wife allegedly told J.S. “I’m sorry, but you have to leave” shortly after the fourth incident, and her father picked her up the same day.
J.S. moved back home in January 1987 and eventually transferred to a new school.
Dunnan denied the allegations in 2018.
The allegations against the Dalton School
The lawsuit claimed that Dalton “should have been aware of” previous reports “that Dunnan had engaged in sexual misconduct”. It also alleged that “another girl had lived with the Dunnans” while attending Dalton “prior to J.S.”. The lawsuit criticized Dalton for handing over its obligations to its insurance carrier.
J.S. was seeking compensatory and punitive damages from both parties.