Tuckahoe Student Sues District Over Attack
The former girlfriend of a Tuckahoe baseball star who tried to strangle her before throwing himself in front of a train last May has sued the Tuckahoe school district, her lawyer said.
The former girlfriend, Bridgette Maldonado, now 18 and a high school senior, filed the suit Tuesday in Westchester County Superior Court, contending that the school system did nothing about the violent, criminal behavior of her former boyfriend, Brian Morris, 17.
Her lawyer, David Worby, said the principal of Tuckahoe High School at the time, Paul Siragusa, had assured Ms. Maldonado that she and her brother were safe, even after Mr. Morris allegedly threatened to kill them. “With the history this kid had, to guarantee their safety just defies imagination,” Mr. Worby said. “As a matter of law, when the principal heard of the death threat, the police should’ve been involved.”
Patrick Fitzgerald, a lawyer for the district, said that the attack against Ms. Maldonado took place away from school grounds, after hours, and while Mr. Morris had been suspended from school. “The district steadfastly maintains that it acted appropriately in all regards, and is confident that the case will be dismissed by the court,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.
