Retzlaff, the accused
A Christian Scientist school in Missouri has been hit with a $1million lawsuit accusing the institution of failing to protect students from an employee charged with having sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old girl dozens of times and organizing orgies for teens.
According to the complaint filed by the alleged victim’s parents last week, when officials at Principia a high school and college for Christian Scientists in St Louis found out about the alleged sexual abuse, they did little beyond issuing telecommunications director Zachary Retzlaff a verbal warning to 'knock it off’ and ‘cut it out', the Mirror reports.
Retzlaff, a 33-year-old widowed father of two young sons, was arrested over the summer and charged with statutory rape.
According to the civil suit reviewed by the St Louis Post-Dispatch, Retzlaff had sex with the 16-year-old female student at The Principia more than 40 times on and off campus between July 2014 and May 2015.
The school where the crime was committed
The telecom manager also allegedly introduced the girl to sadomasochism, choking the girl until she passed out before having sex with her. Retzlaff also allegedly hosted group sex parties with the 16-year-old and other students from the Christian Scientist school.
The parents of the teenager, identified in the complaint as ‘Jane Doe,’ claim that she ran away from home and they believe she is living with Retzlaff and plans to marry him. Court filings in the case allege that officials at the St Louis school knew Retzlaff had sex with students in the past.