A Brooklyn jury has hit the City of New York with an $18 million verdict in favor of a man who says he was sexually abused while a student at P.S. 15 in Red Hook in the early 1970s, according to the law firm that tried the case. The jury in Supreme Court of Kings County found the city acted recklessly in how school officials handled the allegations, the firm said, and Herman Law is calling the decision a landmark win under New York's Child Victims Act.
Herman Law announced the outcome in a press release via PR Newswire on June 12, 2026, stating that the plaintiff, identified in court filings as A.P., alleged abuse by former public-school music teacher John Clark at P.S. 15 Patrick F. Daly. According to the firm, jurors heard evidence that school staff knew of prior complaints about Clark yet failed to protect students. The case was led by Herman Law founder Jeff Herman, the release notes.
“This result is a historic acknowledgment that survivors deserve justice,” Herman said in the release. In background material included in that same release, Herman Law says it has represented survivors since 1997 and reports recovering more than $1 billion for clients.
The Child Victims Act, briefly
The Child Victims Act, enacted in 2019, reopened many civil claims that had long been barred by statutes of limitation and reshaped how survivors can seek damages for abuse that happened decades earlier. The revival provision triggered a wave of lawsuits across New York and has produced a mix of settlements and ongoing litigation as courts work through procedural problems tied to old records and expired filing deadlines. For background on how the revival statute has been applied in recent decisions, see NYCourts.
Why the verdict matters
A jury verdict against the City, rather than a behind closed doors settlement, can increase pressure on school districts and other institutions facing similar claims because it places disputed records and internal policies directly before jurors. Major institutional payouts in post Child Victims Act litigation have already been sizable, and reporting on settlements involving other New York institutions has highlighted the scale of potential exposure. Attorneys who represent survivors say a jury finding of recklessness can alter the risk calculations for defendants deciding whether to settle or go to trial.
Next steps and timeline
The City can still pursue post trial motions or an appeal. In New York civil cases, a notice of appeal generally must be filed within 30 days after service of the judgment, with additional appellate deadlines following from there. The verdict was returned in Kings County Supreme Court at 360 Adams Street in Downtown Brooklyn, and the school at the center of the lawsuit, P.S. 15 Patrick F. Daly, is in Red Hook at 71 Sullivan Street. For procedural details, see the Kings County civil court information on NYCourts and the P.S. 15 school website.
Herman Law has framed the verdict as a milestone for survivors seeking accountability under the Child Victims Act. Court papers, any post trial motions and potential appeals are expected to make additional details public in the coming weeks.
