Federal jury awards $2.2M to sex abuse victim of former Pittsburgh school cop

A federal jury on Thursday awarded $2.2 million to a man who was sexually abused by a Pittsburgh Public Schools police officer in the late 1990s, a crime for which the former police officer is already serving a lengthy prison sentence.

Robert Lellock, 50, is five years in to a 32- to 64-year sentence for molesting four boys during the 1998-1999 school year at Arthur J. Rooney Middle School in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights. He was found guilty of 13 charges in 2013.

One of those boys, now 33, sued Lellock, the school district and others, claiming that the district failed to protect him and should have been aware of the abuse. A judge dismissed claims against the district and some staff, leaving Lellock as the sole defendant.

Mirroring the criminal trial, the victim detailed in the lawsuit how Lellock would pull him out of class, take him to a locked janitor’s closet and sexually assault him. This happened around two dozen times, he said, until he was expelled for bringing a knife to school to protect himself, according to the lawsuit.

The Tribune-Review does not name victims in sexual assault cases.

The man said the abuse two decades ago continues to affect him. He cannot have normal sexual relations and does not feel safe sending his own children to school. He said he still suffers from depression and anxiety and has battled addiction for years.

The jury began deliberating Wednesday, court records show, and jurors were tasked only with deciding what damages were due to the victim.

The $2.2 million includes $1 million in punitive damages, $250,000 for past emotional distress and $350,000 for future emotional distress. The same amounts were awarded for past physical harm and future physical harm.

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@tribweb.com or via Twitter @meganguzaTrib.