A former North Carolina teacher is required to pay $140 million in damages to 14 plaintiffs in a civil case after pleading guilty to 59 sex crimes against children.
A former North Carolina teacher is required to pay $140 million in damages to 14 plaintiffs in a civil case after pleading guilty to 59 sex crimes against children. This amount is equivalent to the maximum monetary award plaintiffs are legally allowed to receive.
Michael Kelly previously taught chemistry at various New Hanover County Schools, including Laney High School. Between 2003 and his arrest in 2018, he was accused of participating in “sexually explicit conversations with students, exposing them to pornography, possessing and sharing child pornography, performing sex acts on children and directing them to perform sex acts on him.” These allegations stemmed from multiple students.
Kelly is required to serve a 16 to 24 year sentence as a result of first degree sexual exploitation and statutory sex with a minor. Additionally, he will serve a second sentence of 20 to 84 months after completion of the first.
Although Kelly is presumed to be released in 2035, the plaintiffs’ attorneys stress the importance of this case and its future implications. Two of his former students claim that they were both drugged and raped by the former teacher, and at least 16 other survivors of Kelly’s abuse have come forward.
Kelly and his representatives did not attend the hearing. The court’s considerations include fraud, malice, and willful and wanton conduct. By defaulting in the case, Kelly admitted to all three of these charges.
In a video testimony played for the judge, one of the survivors described his first encounter with pornographic material while under Kelly’s supervision. He was instructed how to utilize pornographic websites by his former teacher, and later sexually assaulted by Kelly in the sauna of a local YMCA. The survivor reports lasting impacts of this abuse: he suffers from a porn addiction and has been entangled in acts of prostitution.
Another man stated that Kelly forced him to watch pornographic videos during school hours. The abuse escalated: he massaged the minor’s genitals and kissed him in a car. Due to the severity of his trauma, the student eventually dropped out of school.
Included in the $140 million estimation are psychological treatment costs and lost earnings. Additionally, a representative of the Zero Abuse Project has taken into consideration the severity of the crimes, number of years endured, photo and video evidence, and the impact of abuse.
The majority of Kelly’s victims report diagnoses of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Many also suffer from panic attacks, substance abuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. Each day is a challenge for the survivors, and the twisted branches of this crime extend to their loved ones. After learning of her son’s past abuse, one of the survivor’s mothers took her own life.
During the criminal trial, it was revealed that the New Hanover County School District previously investigated Kelly for sexual misconduct in 2006. However, the district did not alert law enforcement.
As a result, a lawsuit began against the school board, former superintendents Rick Holliday and Tim Markley and other unnamed employees. After years of trying to dismiss the case, New Hanover County Schools agreed to a $5.75 million settlement in June. It did not go to trial, and the district did not apologize nor admit wrongdoing.
Sexual abuse training for students, staff, and administrators is expected to be expanded within the school district. There will also be a public report of the efforts to improve policies and practices regarding Title IX compliance and prevention of further misconduct.
Authors: Alexis Kabat and Andy Goldwasser
