Two North Texas preschools face a new lawsuit stemming from accusations that a former teacher sexually abused children.
The suit has been filed in Dallas County by parents who say their 3-year-old daughter is one of the victims. The lawsuit also names several current and former employees of the schools.
The plaintiffs are seeking $100 million in damages.
The man accused of the abuse is 34-year-old Thaddaeus Davidson. He was a teacher at Carpe Diem Private Preschool in Southlake.
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Southlake Police arrested Davidson in October and charged him with two counts of indecency with a child. The incidents allegedly happened in September of 2022.
The lawsuit also names Davidson's previous employer, Lionheart Children's Academy in Grapevine, and accuses it of not reporting suspected abuse by Davidson from the time before he was hired at Carpe Diem.
Joel Pardo, the attorney for the parents, says the failure to report allowed Davidson to stay under the radar of authorities.
"This situation could have been prevented with a 5-minute phone call to the Texas Department of Family Protective Services reporting the initial suspected abuse from Mr. Davidson's previous employer."
NBC 5 reached out to Lionheart, which offered this statement in response:
"At Lionheart, we are a nonprofit ministry dedicated to supporting families with quality, affordable care and education for the children entrusted to us. While we cannot comment on case specifics, the claims against Lionheart are groundless. We were devastated to learn of the criminal allegations against a former employee, Thaddaeus Davidson, for his conduct at other preschools. Although a subsequent investigation of his time at Lionheart in Grapevine did not reveal any evidence of abuse, we proactively implemented changes at this program to fortify our commitment to all aspects of child safety. Our commitment to providing a safe environment for every child has always been and will remain our number one priority."
A representative for Endeavor Schools, which owns Carpe Diem, said they have not seen the lawsuit but provided the following statement:
"We followed protocol when hiring the former teacher, including the completion of both a background and reference check. As soon as we learned of the alleged behavior, we immediately reported it to Child Protective Services and placed the individual on administrative leave. This individual has since been terminated. We cooperated fully with both CPS and law enforcement investigations. The safety and well-being of the children in our care is always our top priority."
Thaddaeus Davidson is currently out on bond.
An attorney representing Davidson declined to comment citing pending or potentially pending litigation.
