A former Mercer Island High School student is demanding $13.4 million from the Mercer Island School District, alleging she was groomed and sexually abused by a longtime English teacher while she was a senior in 2012. The tort claim says the district failed to act on multiple warnings and seeks damages for ongoing emotional harm and post-traumatic stress. Filed in early February, the complaint triggers Washington’s tort-claim process and requires the district to formally respond.
Filing and legal representation
According to Seattle Weekly, the claim was presented on Feb. 4 by Seattle law firm Hagens Berman and asks for $13.4 million in damages. In a statement, attorney Jake Berman said, “Mercer Island High School had a duty to protect students like our client from harm.” The Mercer Island School District has declined to provide additional comment, citing the pending legal matter.
What the complaint says
Investigative reporting and public records describe an alleged relationship that began after a school-sanctioned trip and intensified during the student’s senior year. During that time, the teacher allegedly used school roles to secure one-on-one access to the student and spend private time with her. InvestigateWest obtained 2011 personnel meeting notes that list the stated goal as “To protect Curtis and the District,” and the tort claim outlines what it describes as escalating contact, gifts and coercion. The former student told reporters the relationship continued into her freshman year of college and left long-term psychological damage.
District response and investigation
Superintendent Fred Rundle first alerted families and staff in October after investigative reporting surfaced, telling the community that the district would launch an independent review. A follow-up update posted Jan. 13 said a third-party investigator closed the probe after being “unable to make any findings” because key individuals were unavailable.
In an Oct. 23 community letter, the district said it had filed reports with the Mercer Island Police Department and Child Protective Services and had placed a current teacher, David Willecke, on paid administrative leave while questions about reporting obligations were reviewed. District officials have also said they plan to work with an outside abuse-prevention firm and convene a Student Safety and Well-Being Committee to recommend changes.
Legal next steps
Under Washington law, anyone bringing a claim against a local government must file on the state’s standard tort form, and “no action . . . shall be commenced” until 60 calendar days after the claim is presented, a waiting period that also tolls the statute of limitations. RCW 4.96.020 sets out those rules.
If the district rejects the claim once the 60-day notice period expires, the former student can move ahead with a lawsuit. Earlier reporting notes that the Mercer Island Police Department referred related allegations to the King County Prosecutor’s Office in 2024 but that criminal charges were not pursued in some instances because timing and statute-of-limitations issues limited prosecution, according to InvestigateWest.
Community reaction and oversight
Parents, students and some school board members have pressed the district for more transparency and concrete reforms, especially since earlier reporting raised allegations involving another former Mercer Island High School teacher. Local coverage by the Mercer Island Reporter describes meeting rooms and online message boards filled with anger, demands for clearer reporting protocols and calls for any future internal reviews to be made public with identifying details removed. Critics say new committees and outside audits will only matter if they result in real policy changes around school trips, chaperoning and staff-student boundaries.
The statutory response window now ticking down gives the district time to decide whether to settle or fight the claim. Advocates say the filing may also encourage other survivors with similar experiences to come forward. For anyone affected by sexual violence, the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center offers confidential support and a 24/7 resource line, with details available on its website.
