LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Attorneys for Greater Clark County Schools have filed motions to close the courtroom and court records from the public in a lawsuit against Michael Begin, a former teaching assistant convicted of 20 counts of felony child molestation.Â
A spokesperson for an attorney for one of the victims, who is 6 years old, said one motion prevents parties from talking publicly about the case. Another prevents public access to the court records and courtroom during the trial.
Court records say the motions were filed to protect the minors involved.
Begin, 21, pleaded guilty in Jan. 2019 to 20 counts of child molestation and in April 2019 was given the maximum sentence by a Clark County judge of 120 years behind bars, with the final 20 years to be served on probation. He is currently housed in the Indiana Department of Corrections and will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Begin was 18 years old when he was first accused of molesting two young girls at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in 2017, where investigators said he was working as a teacher's assistant as part of Jeffersonville High School's early childhood education program.
More than a dozen more victims later came forward, claiming Begin molested them when he worked at the Clark County YMCA in Jeffersonville.
The victims' families filed nine civil lawsuits against Begin in 2018, with most also naming the YMCA and Greater Clark County Schools Corporation as defendants. Begin's parents were also named in at least one of the lawsuits.
An attorney for one of the families filed a civil tort on March 24 that names just Begin and the YMCA as defendants. That suit requests a judgment against the YMCA in an amount to be proven at trial and also seeks attorney fees.
The new lawsuit alleges that the YMCA failed in not properly notifying the school district of the molestation allegations, or that Begin had been suspended in September 2017 due to an alleged child sexual assault, thereby allowing more children to be molested over the following month.
The case is expected to go to trial in May.
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- 20th child claims she was abused by accused molester Michael Begin
- Lawsuit claims YMCA should have fired man accused of molesting 17 children after allegations surfaced
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- Lawsuit filed against Jeffersonville High School student accused of molesting 17 young children
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