Family of sexually assaulted girl settles with school

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — The family of a 12-year-old New Jersey girl who was lured by an online predator to a Pennsylvania hotel where she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted has settled a lawsuit with the school district that issued her the laptop.

The lawsuit states that the school-issued computer did not have the “proper limitations or controls installed” to prevent students from accessing unauthorized or inappropriate websites, NJ Advance Media reported.

The lawsuit claims that the school guidance counselor was aware of the student’s contact with Heim but never notified parents or authorities.

The Collingswood School District will pay $650,000 in structured payments to the girl and another $300,000 to her parents, according to the settlement agreement.

School Superintendent Scott Oswald said Friday neither he nor the district has comment on the case or settlement.

Federal prosecutors said then-21-year-old Liam Heim of Florida met the Collingswood girl in an online chat room on Discord he had created for anime fans. Over the course of several months, he led her to believe they were in a romantic relationship. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2019 after pleading guilty to two counts stemming from the 2018 incident.