MARTINSVILLE, Ind. — Midwest law firm, Wagner Reese, is taking legal action against the Martinsville School District by claiming the school corporation hired and retained “Sexual Predator Brittany Fortinberry.”
Fortinberry was a former Indiana substitute teacher who was arrested for reportedly sleeping with multiple students. She is charged with multiple counts of child molestation, dissemination of matter harmful to a minor, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The firm represents one of Fortinberry’s alleged male victims.
According to the press release from the personal injury and sexual abuse law firm, on March 26, an attorney mailed a Indiana Tort Claim Notice against the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville alleging that a male student was molested and sexually abused as a result of the district’s negligence while enrolled at John R. Wooden Middle School in the fall of 2023.
The tort claim alleges that the minor was mistreated, sexually assaulted, and molested by Fortinberry. It also said that she provided drugs to the teen.
The attorney said that their goal is to, “prevent this type of abuse from happening to other students in the future.”
The filing further states that the minor is in “emotional distress” from the “chaos” that the reported abuse has caused. The student has enrolled in therapy and counseling sessions as a result of the abuse, according to the law firm.
The minor victim and client, listed as David Doe, is requesting $700,000 per sexual assault. The parents of David, listed as John and Jane Doe, are seeking compensation for the “trauma, mental anguish, and emotional distress” inflicted on their son.
“Like all parents in the community, the boy’s family entrusted the school district to protect their
son. The family is shocked that something like this could happen. Our preliminary investigation
suggests that the school district’s administrators knew about inappropriate behavior by Ms.
Fortinberry but still chose to hire her,” said Attorney Jason Reese.
“When her abuse became known to the district, school officials neglected to timely report the abuse to proper authorities, terminate her employment, and alert parents.”
Information will be updated as it becomes available.
