Geelong College has been forced to pay $2.7 million to a former student and Rightside Legal client who was sexually abused by a school volunteer in the 1980s and 90s.
The award is believed to be the highest by a judge or jury in an institutional abuse claim in Australia ever.
In a Supreme Court of Victoria decision, Geelong College was found to have breached its duty of care to the 46-year-old, who started at the school in 1987.
The abuse, which was not disputed by the school, was perpetrated by volunteer Bert Palframan, who helped students with woodwork at the school’s House of Guilds.
Despite consistently creepy and offensive behaviour in the woodwork area, the school did nothing to ban Palframan from the school grounds.
Palframan went on to abuse multiple school students.
The school denied any legal responsibility for the abuse and pushed the matter to a two week Supreme Court trial. The decision of the Court was a complete vindication for Rightside Legal’s client, and an expensive and devastating blow for the school.
“I’m delighted with the comprehensive win and appalled the school denied legal responsibility for what happened to me and put me through a very difficult trial,” the former student, represented by Rightside Legal, said in a statement.