Shadle Park graduate sues district over sex case

A former student sexually assaulted by a Spokane high school teacher is suing the district for failing to fire him for being inappropriate with students.

A Seattle lawyer filed the federal civil complaint for unspecified damages on behalf of a Shadle Park High School graduate earlier this month. School officials refused to comment about the complaint. “It would be inappropriate for us to discuss any ongoing litigation at this time,” district spokesman Kevin Morrison said.

The student attended Shadle Park, where Ryan Murphy taught her English class and coached her in track.

According to court records, Murphy discussed his personal life with her, made numerous attempts to isolate the student, touched her inappropriately, contacted her outside school hours and texted her excessively.

The student first told another track coach of her discomfort in 2010, and the coach told her he would tell Murphy to stay away outside of school, according to court records.

Later that same year, Murphy persuaded the student to have sex with him, according to court records, which state their sexual relationship continued for several months. The following year, the girl told her principal about Murphy contacting her outside of school, according to the civil complaint. The school official told the girl he would talk to Murphy.

When Murphy came under investigation for inappropriate contact with a different student in 2012, the complainant’s name came up. She was interviewed by the school district. School records showed a special investigator assigned to Murphy’s case determined he crossed the line with female students numerous times.

Murphy was put on paid administrative leave; he resigned in August 2012.

After the student graduated, Murphy continued attempting to contact her. That’s when she told authorities about their sexual relationship while she’d been in school.

Murphy pleaded guilty to sexual assault against the former student in 2013 and was sentenced to three months in jail.

The civil complaint’s claim is that the school district should be held liable for the sexual assault and officials should have known Murphy would act inappropriately with female students.

The woman, now 21, lives in Arizona. The Spokesman-Review does not generally name victims in sexual assault cases.