In a recent settlement, the Town of Brookline has agreed to compensate a woman with $3 million after she accused former middle school teacher Larry Chen of sexual abuse, as reported by Boston.com. The settlement entails an initial payment of $1.5 million, followed by five annual installments of $300,000 set to commence the following year. This comes post months of negotiations between the town's officials and the woman's attorney, confirmed by Joe Callanan, Brookline’s town counsel.
Although the charges against Chen were dropped last September, this decision was made due to the alleged victim's reluctance to move forward with her testimony against the teacher. Her lawyer, Carmen Durso, emphasized the difficulty survivors of childhood abuse face when having to publicly recount their experiences. "She's trying to put her life back together again. She's a very smart young woman, and I think she'll be able to do it," Durso told Boston.com. Chen's attorney did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
The abuse allegedly took place between 2016 and 2018 when Chen taught sixth grade social studies at the Hayes School. The accusations emerged in 2022, with the alleged victim stating that Chen sexually abused her when she was 12 and 13 years old. According to an interview with Durso, as per a report by Brookline.News, the plaintiff exhibited "enormous strength" by coming forward, an action he described as incredibly difficult for abuse survivors.
The settlement includes a clause asserting that Brookline does not admit to any liability, although Durso noted the belief Brookline officials had in the allegations. "I think they believed everything that she said about what happened to her, as they should," Durso said, indicating a level of respect shown during the negotiations, as noted by Brookline.News. The funds for the settlement are to come from Brookline’s Liability Insurance Fund, which is maintained as part of the town's "free cash" reserves.
In the backdrop of these events, it's worth noting that Chen was a contentious figure even before the allegations, having faced two public outcries in defense of his employment after separate incidents in 2015 and 2018. These incidents involved disciplinary action for cursing in front of students and allowing students to play Halo 3 in school, respectively. Details of these earlier situations circulated, including in statements Chen published on Change.org, arguing his perspective during the public controversies. Chen eventually resigned in November 2018, as per records from the Brookline Police Department.
