Lawsuit Accuses Union City School Officials of Failing to Prevent Abuse by Former Teacher

A former student has filed a civil lawsuit in Hudson County Superior Court alleging that Union City school officials failed to prevent years of abuse by a now-deceased teacher.

Filed anonymously under the name John Doe, the complaint claims the abuse occurred between 1994 and 2001 while the plaintiff was a student at Washington Elementary School in Union City. The teacher, identified in the filing as Rolando Gonzalez, is accused of engaging in inappropriate conduct with the plaintiff during school hours and on school property.

Gonzalez, who is now deceased, was employed as an ESL teacher during the time of the alleged incidents. The plaintiff claims that school officials allowed Gonzalez regular unsupervised access to students, despite what the lawsuit describes as warning signs.

The Union City Board of Education, Union City Public Schools, and Washington Elementary School are named as defendants. The suit alleges negligence, failure to protect, and violations of state laws protecting minors and victims of sexual abuse.

The plaintiff, now 41, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and is being represented by the Law Offices of Rosemarie Arnold. A motion has been filed to allow the plaintiff to proceed anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the case.