A former Ben Davis High School custodian has filed a civil lawsuit claiming a male coworker repeatedly raped her during overnight shifts in 2024, at one point threatening her with a gun and telling her, “Don’t do anything stupid; no one is going to believe you.” The complaint, lodged this week in Marion Superior Court, seeks a jury trial and damages from both Ben Davis High School and the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township. The woman says she tried to get help from supervisors, but that her reports were brushed off and the attacks continued anyway.
Allegations laid out in the complaint
Court filings reviewed by WTHR describe a series of incidents in mid-2024 that the plaintiff says began as unwanted touching and escalated into forcible sexual assaults. In one June 2024 incident, the coworker allegedly carried her to an SUV on campus, set a 40-minute timer and raped her while she was held there against her will.
Police report and district response
An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report filed on March 25, 2026 documents a delayed rape complaint that lists alleged assaults between June and September 2024, according to reporting republished by WIBC. That report notes the suspect is identified only by initials and that an IMPD officer had previously been dispatched on an earlier call for service.
What the suit claims the district did wrong
The lawsuit accuses the district of negligent hiring, supervision and retention. The woman says supervisors told her multiple times to “leave it alone” after her early complaints, then continued to assign her to late shifts alongside the coworker she had accused. In a statement to WIBC, MSD Wayne Township said, “As this is an active legal matter, we’re unable to address the specific allegations. We’ve engaged legal counsel and will be addressing this through the proper legal channels,” adding that student and staff safety remains a priority. The complaint also says the coworker was eventually fired in the fall of 2025, after the plaintiff turned over footage of what she describes as inappropriate conduct to school leadership.
What’s next
The case was filed last week in Marion Superior Court 6 and asks a jury to award compensatory, special and punitive damages against Ben Davis High School and the district, according to court records reviewed by WTHR. The civil lawsuit will move forward on its own schedule. Any criminal investigation or potential charges would be handled separately by law enforcement and prosecutors as more records and filings become public.
