‘A big burden lifted’: Ex-students who accused Agape school of abuse settle lawsuits

Kansas City Star via MSN ^ | March 8, 2023 | Judy L. Thomas, Laura Bauer,

[Morgana]

Sixteen former Agape Boarding School students who sued for alleged abuse at the southwest Missouri school have settled their cases for undisclosed amounts.

The number represents about two-thirds of the two dozen lawsuits filed against Agape Baptist Church, the organization that operated the now-closed school near Stockton in Cedar County.

Court records show that the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their cases “with prejudice,” meaning the suits cannot be filed again. Four cases were dismissed in January and refiled in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri and four are pending in state court.

The newly settled cases, filed since February 2021 by former students from across the country, accused the school of negligence, infliction of emotional distress and battery by staff and fellow students. Some of the abuse, the suits alleged, involved sexual assault, torture, starvation and excruciating restraints of students.

“I’m super grateful to have it over with,” said Josh Bradney, of California, who attended the school from 2014 through 2016. “It’s a big burden lifted and a good step toward moving forward.”

Bradney, now 21, sued the school in February 2021 under the name John Doe II but later went public with his identity. The lawsuit alleged that he was subjected to physical, emotional and sexual abuse by students and a staff member.

The abuse, Bradney told The Star on Monday, “changed my life forever.”

“Now we can feel like we got some justice,” he said. “And we’re not going to stop fighting for the safety of kids.”

Agape attorney John Schultz declined to comment on the lawsuits or confirm whether any had been settled.

Randy Cowherd, who represents Bradney and other former Agape students, said that “we are certainly grateful that our clients’ cases were settled to their satisfaction.”