Art teacher, school board sued over nude photos

CHARLESTON - An 18-year-old woman has filed suit in Kanawha Circuit Court, alleging that her former art teacher paid her to provide him with sexually explicit photographs of herself.

In a lawsuit filed Sept. 11, a woman identified only as "Jane Doe" to protect her identity seeks compensation from the Kanawha County Board of Education, Larry Pauley and National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh.

The woman says Pauley solicited photos from her while she was a student at Hayes Middle School and Saint Albans High School.

Pauley, 57, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor in 2004 and was sentenced to 3 ½ years in federal prison.

The plaintiff, now 18, says he first approached her when she was in Pauley's seventh-grade art class about taking pictures of herself and also made sexually inappropriate comments toward her.

"During the 2002-03 school year, Defendant Pauley requested, demanded, intimidated and solicited, and otherwise illegally induced Plaintiff… with the promise of monetary rewards to take photographs of herself, and Plaintiff, in response to those demands, did provide photographs of herself in a bathing suit," the complaint says.

However, it adds, Pauley was not satisfied, and asked for pictures of the then-eighth-grader undressing, which she provided in exchange for money.

The process repeated itself until Pauley had 25 pictures, 17 of which were explicit enough to be classified as child pornography by federal prosecutors.

Also, the plaintiff ended up with $700 from Pauley. She says she also received grades and was excused from doing work other students had to complete.

Pauley bought a camera that he gave to the plaintiff and told her to take sexually explicit pictures with another classmate.

Pauley requested a transfer from Hayes to Saint Albans when the plaintiff moved to the high school, the complaint says. He resigned after the allegations came to light.

The plaintiff says she has had to drop out of school and is entitled to compensatory damages for pain and suffering, lost future earnings, impairment of earning capacity, emotional and mental anguish, humiliation and embarrassment. She is also seeking punitive damages.

Lonnie Simmons of Charleston law firm DiTrapano, Barrett and DiPiero is representing the plaintiff.

Judge Tod Kaufman has been assigned the case.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 06-C-1850