Former Plum Student Wins Right To Sue Police, Borough For Sex Abuse

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Former Plum High School teacher Jason Cooper, now in jail, is at the center of a civil lawsuit filed by a student victim.

The student alleges that in addition to school officials who failed to protect her, Plum Borough and police officer Mark Kost are also responsible for harm she sustained.

Cooper is currently in jail for sexually abusing the victim.

"Plum Borough and Officer Kost, who was the police officer assigned to the school, acted with deliberate indifference to the civil rights of this young plaintiff to cause bodily integrity," attorney Craig Fishman, who represents the victim, told KDKA Money Editor Jon Delano on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a federal judge refused to dismiss the federal claims against the borough or its police officer, allowing the young woman to proceed with her case.

"Teachers were protected at the expense of students," said Fishman.

Fishman says the officer failed to protect students by referring matters to school officials rather than police.

"He did absolutely nothing for the students and any claims of abuse or improper conduct by the teachers were referred by him to the administration to investigate."

"Who should do an investigation of something like that? Who's trained to do it?"

As for the borough, said Fishman, "Their policies and practices were inadequate."

And it combined to create, says Fishman, a snake pit.

"A snake pit that was just a totally dangerous situation for students and they got hurt."

The victim was 17 when - after both her mother and grandmother died - she alleges she was vulnerable to Cooper's advances.

"He ended up being a child predator who went through a scheme to groom her," Fishman says.

Plum chose not to appeal and the case now moves forward.

Counsel for the defendant had no comment.