Jury rules Perth Amboy is liable for ex-firefighter’s 'horrific' child sexual abuse
NEW BRUNSWICK – A Middlesex County jury has ruled that Perth Amboy and its fire department are liable for a former firefighter's "horrific" sexual abuse of a child in firehouses from 1986 to 1994.
Following a two-week trial, the jury found that the city and fire department were negligent in its supervision of the firefighter, Hugo Fleites, who is serving 10 years in state prison. He pleaded guilty in 2019 to first-degree aggravated sexual assault.
Fleites, 61, was not named in the lawsuit filed in 2020 by the victim, Shay Guiod, now 44, of San Jose, California.
The jury awarded $331,000 for the abuse that occurred in the firehouses. The total award will be increased to $450,000 under an agreement between the parties in place prior to the verdict, said Jay Mascolo, Guiod's attorney.
Mascolo said the verdict may have been the first in a civil sexual abuse lawsuit since New Jersey’s civil statute of limitations in sexual abuse cases was extended by law in 2019.
“We are pleased that the jury found this public entity responsible for a lack of supervision and training that contributed to this horrible story," Mascolo said. "Hopefully this verdict reinforces the concept to any organization that it must properly supervise all employees and facilities and train its employees as to risks and signs of child sexual abuse. My client is pleased to have some form of legal closure in this matter, although the scars will remain with him long after this verdict.”
Related:Former Perth Amboy firefighter ordered to pay $4.75M in child sexual abuse lawsuit
According to the lawsuit, Fleites began abusing Guiod "countless times" beginning when he was 8 years old.
Fleites used his positions of trust and authority as a firefighter, community figurehead and mentor to groom Guiod, the lawsuit said.
Guiod testified that he had been abused more than 30 times in at least two firehouses by Fleites. who was a friend of the Guiod family.
The case was heard before Superior Court Judge Christopher Rafano.
Guiod was represented by Mascolo and Matt Bonannom, both of Rebenack, Aronow & Mascolo in New Brunswick, and Michael Pfau and Vincent Nappo, of Pfau, Cochrane in Seattle.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Jury rules Perth Amboy liable for ex-firefighter’s child sex abuse
