BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A teenager who says she was raped after a school worker tried to use her as bait to catch an alleged sexual predator should be forced to publicly reveal her name to pursue a lawsuit, an Alabama school system argued in court.
Madison County schools filed documents with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week opposing anonymity for a now-19-year-old woman who maintains she was raped at school at age 14 during a scheme hatched by a teacher’s aide to catch another student accused of improper sexual advances.
A lawyer for the young woman called the system’s position unusual since victims of sexual assaults often are allowed to use only their initials or a pseudonym like “Jane Doe” in civil lawsuits.
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“It’s a pretty routine idea that now that she is an adult she should be able to handle her own affairs and that she should be able to remain anonymous because of her age when this happened,” she said.
School officials contend the young woman doesn’t meet court standards for being allowed to pursue a lawsuit anonymously.
