Mother sues Pittsburgh Public Schools, Starbucks and management company over alleged sexual assault of daughter
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The mother of a girl with disabilities filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming three male students lured her then-15-year-old daughter away from school property and sexually assaulted her inside a Starbucks bathroom and nearby empty building.
The lawsuit said despite these allegations, no charges were ever filed.
"I think that's terrible. And I think they should do something about it," said Pittsburgh resident Renee Carlisle.
Community members and nearby business owners tell KDKA-TV's Meghan Schiller they heard about the alleged assault at Pittsburgh Public Schools' Taylor Allderdice High School back when it allegedly happened in the fall of 2022, but they had hoped it was just a rumor and are saddened to hear of the recent lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims the Starbucks employees witnessed male students taking turns entering the bathroom with the girl, allegedly raping her. It says the alleged males then took her to a nearby empty building where the sexual assault continued.
"I think it's absolutely terrible and I'm glad to see more of a police presence," said Derek Green, the owner of Vendor Bender.
Green graduated from Taylor Allderdice and now owns Vendor Bender, a vending machine store up the street from Starbucks. He's always in the store during school dismissal time, saying it can get out of hand.
"They get PAT bus passes to get on public transit so they're congregating at the bottom of the hill here and we have a few hundred kids when school pours out," said Green.
Taylor Allderdice students had a half day Wednesday, and KDKA-TV cameras captured the sea of students at the corner of Murray and Forward Avenues. They gathered at the bus stop while several police officers stood and watched.
Students tell KDKA-TV that Starbucks no longer allows anyone to sit inside the store during school dismissal hours. Other nearby business owners have reported vandalism and large fights that required a police response.
"I'm hoping that eventually maybe they'll move the bus stop," said Green. "I don't entirely blame the kids, their bus stop is right there on the corner and there's nothing for them to do."
The mother of the alleged victim says the district failed to protect her daughter and said Starbucks employees knew about the increasing crime issues but failed to provide security or training for employees.
Starbucks told the Associated Press when it learned of these allegations it worked with extreme urgency to support law enforcement throughout their investigation.
Pittsburgh Bureau of Pittsburgh told KDKA-TV's Meghan Schiller: "This incident was fully investigated by detectives with the Pittsburgh Police Special Victims Unit and all evidence was presented to the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, which ultimately determined there would be no charges filed in this case."
Pittsburgh Public Schools declined to comment on pending litigation.