Sex abuse attorney Jeff Herman announces the filing of a lawsuit, under the Child Victims Act, against the DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN and ST. BENEDICT JOSEPH LABRE PARISH regarding a teacher who allegedly raped a kindergarten student when she was just 5 years old back in 1983.
The victim, now age 42, remains anonymous and known as C.L., said that when she was just 5 years old, she was brought by her teacher and the Priest to a private teachers lounge, told to get undressed, and both men raped her. This alleged abuse took place on over several occasions until she left the school after 3rd grade.
The lawsuit is brought against the DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN and ST. BENEDICT JOSEPH LABRE PARISH.
Peter Mastrandrea, the teacher accused of molesting her, was a teacher at St. Benedict Joseph Labre School in the early to mid-1980s. Father Hendel was a priest employed by the Diocese of Brooklyn. He also served as a Priest at St. Benedict Joseph Labre School.
Peter Mastrandrea and Father Hendel allegedly sexually assaulted the Plaintiff, known only as C.L., on multiple occasions from the ages of five to approximately seven years old.
Peter Mastrandrea was at all relevant times a serial sexual predator who sexually abused multiple children as a teacher. Allegedly, the School ignored red flags alerting them to Peter Mastrandrea’s sexual misconduct toward students.
Jeff Herman, nationally recognized sex abuse attorney and the managing partner of Herman Law states “These allegations are yet another example of school staff members abusing their power to prey on vulnerable children.”
These suits would not have been possible without the New York Legislature’s passing of the Child Victims Act earlier this year. As a result of the Child Victims Act’s one-year window, victims must swiftly assess and prepare any potential claims they may have against the entities responsible for their abuse. Herman Law represents hundreds of victims of childhood sexual abuse in New York, many of whom have been victims of the widespread problem of sex abuse within the Catholic Church.
