A teacher at a prestigious private school in Massachusetts will not be prosecuted for allegedly grooming and abusing multiple young girls because of the states age of consent laws.
Longtime history teacher Matthew S. Rutledge was accused of sexual abuse at Miss Halls School in Pittsfield by five women between 1992 and 2010, two of whom have identified themselves.
The close-knit school charges fees starting at $6,800 per year up to $43,800 for a day student, while international boarding costs up to $75,600. With fewer than 200 students at the institution, Rutledges behavior was allegedly an open secret.
Berkshire District Attorneys office declined to prosecute Rutledge because the age of consent is 16 in Massachusetts, and the alleged victims were all 16 years old at the time, according to the Boston Globe.
However, he allegedly groomed two of the women when they were aged 14 and 15, before the sexual relations began when they were 16.
A teacher at a prestigious private school in Massachusetts will not be prosecuted for allegedly grooming and abusing multiple young girls because of the states age of consent laws. (Pictured: Teacher Matthew Rutledge with one of the accusers, Melissa Fares)
Matthew S. Rutledge was accused of sexual abuse at Miss Halls School in Pittsfield by five women between 1992 and 2010, two of whom have identified themselves. (Pictured: Rutledge with accuser Hilary F. Simon)
The attorney representing the women, Eric MacLeish, blasted the age of consent legislation as a terrible law that is at odds with what is going on nationally.
How can anyone say there can be consent with a teacher 30 years older than a student? MacLeish said.
MacLeish added that one of his clients, former student Melissa Fares, was not informed that Rutledge was not being charged until it was published in the media.
He also rejected aspersions that his clients consented to sex with Rutledge, regardless of age.
We disagree strongly with the decision of the district attorney in this case, he said in an interview with the Boston Globe.
District Attorney Timothy Shugrue released a statement outlining the decision.
Massachusetts law defines the age of consent as 16. While the alleged behavior is profoundly troubling, it is not illegal, he said.
Investigations into allegations of child abuse are inherently complex and require scrutiny.
Our office, as well as our partner law enforcement agencies, will not rush investigation for the sake of coming to expeditious conclusion.
Rutledge resigned in March this year after the accusations became public.
The allegations were first aired when Fares posted on an alumni Facebook page saying Rutledge had sexually assaulted her between 2007 and 2010 when she was a student.
Longtime history teacher Matthew S. Rutledge has been accused of sexual abuse at Miss Halls School in Pittsfield by five women between 1992 and 2010, two of whom have identified themselves
The close-knit school charges fees starting at $6,800 per year up to $43,800 for a day student, while international boarding costs up to $75,600. With fewer than 200 students at the institution, Rutledges behavior was allegedly an open secret
Fares post had a domino effect.
It prompted another former student, Hilary Simon, to write in the same private group describing her alleged grooming and assaults by Rutledge between 2001 and 2005.
Simon told the Globe earlier this year that Rutledge kissed her and told her he loved her at her graduation celebration in 2005.
She said she told an official at the school about his behavior but no one ever came back to her about it.
The school was very, very well aware of what he was doing, she said in an April 2024 interview. And they didnt stop him.
Fares filed a civil lawsuit against Rutledge accusing him of assault. It also takes aim at Miss Halls School alleging negligence.
She described Rutledge as a popular and charismatic teacher who began making advances on her when she was just 15.
The flirting escalated to groping and explicit comments, and after she turned 17, he had sex with her in his classroom, according to the former pupil. She said she did not consent to the initial sexual encounters.
Meanwhile, Simon said Rutledge groped her in a van in front of several other students. One pupil reported the incident to school administrators, but Simon said they did not investigate.
The school even held an assembly to warn students against spreading rumors, she said.
Miss Halls School charges fees starting at $6,800 per year up to $43,800 for a day student, while international boarding costs up to $75,600. With fewer than 200 students at the institution, Rutledges behavior was allegedly an open secret
The school has had my name as a victim for 20 years, Simon told the Globe. And they never reached out or started an investigation until they were forced to.
State Senator Joan Lovely has tried to raise the age of consent from 16 to 18 when the predator is a person in a position of power or authority.
She said the Miss Halls School case provides a prime example of why the legislation is urgently needed.
Defendants could not use age of consent as a defense, she told the Globe in a statement.
We need to protect young people from sexual abuse and assault, and this bill will chill this behavior. People will hopefully think twice facing prosecution.
However, the law has not been passed.
Julia Heaton, Miss Halls current head of school, placed Rutledge on administrative leave after Faress attorney sent a letter to the school in March about the accusations.
He resigned two days later, while the school commissioned an independent probe, which is ongoing.
We took immediate actions to protect our students safety, which is our most important responsibility, Miss Halls said in a statement.
Mr. Rutledge was banned from campus and will not return.