Updated December 8, 2023 at 08:25 AM ET
Top line
Three victims of convicted “cult” leader Larry Ray have filed a lawsuit against New York-based Sarah Lawrence College, alleging that the school negligently allowed Ray to live in campus housing where he groomed and abused several college students, in a case that made headlines. Patriotism was the subject of a Hulu documentary earlier this year.
Key facts
Ray’s well-documented “cult” abuse of a group of Sarah Lawrence students began in 2010 when he moved into his daughter’s dorm room on campus.
Now, three of his victims claim in a civil lawsuit that the school should have known that Ray, then 50 and an ex-con, was living on campus with young students and posing a threat.
The lawsuit says Ray’s constant and unobtrusive presence on campus should have drawn the attention of Sarah Lawrence employees.
The lawsuit alleges that in one incident, Ray set off a fire alarm while cooking alone in a college dorm, and while school staff and fire officials responded and spoke with Ray, they never questioned why he was alone inside a college dorm.
Instead, Ray lived in the dorm for nearly an entire academic year, during which time he “committed acts of manipulation, grooming, sexual assault, food deprivation, and sleep deprivation” against students, the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit also targets the owners of residential properties where Ray continued his activities after leaving Sarah Lawrence.
Contra
The school said in a statement to Forbes that Ray “committed heinous crimes for which he was held responsible, convicted and sentenced.” We hope the ruling has resolved some issues for Ray’s victims, to whom the College sympathizes deeply. We will not comment on any aspect of this lawsuit, except to note that we believe the facts will tell a different story than the unproven allegations contained in the complaint filed.
Main background
Ray is serving a 60-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, extortion, violent crimes in aid of extortion, forced labor and tax evasion, after his conviction last year. The story first made national headlines after a New York Magazine cover story titled “Sarah Lawrence’s Stolen Children,” which led to an FBI investigation, and continues to generate discourse, most recently with the critically acclaimed February Hulu documentary “Stolen Youth “. Ray reportedly moved into his daughter’s residence in Sarah Lawrence in 2010 after being released from prison on securities fraud charges. There, he gained the admiration of her friends, and over time he began subjecting them to “sexual and psychological manipulation and physical abuse,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said last year. Eventually, he falsely convinced some students that they owed him money and convinced them to make it up to him by performing unpaid labor, engaging in prostitution and borrowing money from families.
the shadow
The lawsuit filed Nov. 21 suggests it was timely with New York’s adult survivors law, which expired just days later. There was a wave of lawsuits filed under New York’s adult survivors law before the window closed last month. These include names such as New York City Mayor Eric Adams and actor Jamie Foxx, who have denied any wrongdoing.
In-depth reading
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Sarah Lawrence College is facing legal action from former students who allege they were abused by convicted “sex cult” leader Larry Ray during their time at the institution. The lawsuit, filed by several former students, accuses the college of failing to protect them from Ray’s manipulative and abusive behavior. The plaintiffs claim that the college knew or should have known about Ray’s behavior and failed to take appropriate action to prevent the abuse. This lawsuit has brought renewed attention to the disturbing case and has raised questions about the responsibilities of universities to protect their students from harmful individuals.