Courts news

ROME, Ga. — Dismissing insurance company claims, including that sexual abuse is not considered bodily injury, a judge ordered them to pay out $345 million to men who were sexually abused by a Darlington teacher in the 1970s and '80s.

The plaintiffs alleged that Roger Stifflemire, who taught English at the school in Rome, Ga., from 1974 to 1994, used his authority and influence as a teacher and dorm parent to obtain their trust, which he then exploited to sexually abuse them both on and off campus.

Recommended for you

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Please log in, or sign up for a new, free account to read or post comments.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.