Lawsuit: Military academy failed to protect cadet from abuse

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – A former student at an all-boys military college prep academy in Georgia has sued the school, saying leaders failed to protect him from hazing and sexual assault.

A copy of the lawsuit shared with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the cadet was hazed, abused and raped at Riverside Military Academy when he was 12 and 13 years old. The defendants include current and former officials.

The lawsuit says the Gainesville school failed to report the claims to authorities and discipline the alleged perpetrators during the 2012-13 school year. It says older cadets hit him, slammed his head into a wall, threw things at him and raped him.

His mother informed Riverside about the abuse. At some point, she was allegedly told “boys will be boys.” A Riverside spokeswoman declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com