Cherry Hill School District faces lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by a former sixth-grade teacher

Six former Cherry Hill students are accusing the school district of failing to protect them from a sixth-grade teacher who allegedly sexually abused them more than four decades ago.

Six civil lawsuits filed in Camden County Superior Court since 2023, including three filed Tuesday, allege the men were sexually abused by Otto Becken when he was their teacher at James F. Cooper Elementary between 1979 and 1983.

According to court documents, the alleged abuse occurred when the students were about 11 or 12. Becken, who died in 2011, was a homeroom teacher and reading specialist.

The lawsuits allege that Becken groomed the students for abuse using his position of power and trust, and that district employees who knew or should have known about the abuse failed to stop it.

The district “failed in its most basic legal duties to guard against a predator sexually abusing not just one, but numerous minors,” the lawsuit complaints say.

Jeffrey P. Fritz, one of the lawyers representing the victims in the six lawsuits, said he expects additional victims to come forward. A lawsuit from a seventh victim is expected soon.

“I think there are at least dozens, if not hundreds, of other victims out there,” Fritz said in a recent interview.

Cherry Hill school officials did not respond to requests for comment. In court filings, the district denied the allegations, which include negligent hiring, retention, and supervision. The lawsuits also allege that district officials failed to make required reports of suspected abuse to the state’s child welfare agency.

Becken, who was hired to teach in Cherry Hill in 1970, was charged in 1984 with sexually assaulting two 12-year-old boys. Under a settlement with the district, he resigned later that year and agreed to surrender his teaching certificate and seek psychiatric treatment.

In 1985, Becken pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual misconduct with no jail time imposed, the lawsuit said. He died in 2011 in Pennsylvania.

Charles “Chuck” Wicker, who alleged he was molested by Becken during the 1982-83 school year, filed the first lawsuit against the school district in 2023.

Wicker said he was fondled on numerous occasions during a private remedial reading program with Becken at lunchtime, and that escalated to oral sex. One alleged assault occurred during a weeklong class trip to Mount Misery, a campground in the Pine Barrens, the lawsuit said.

Now 54, Wicker said he did not tell anyone about the abuse because he was ashamed and embarrassed. He believed he was the only alleged victim at the time.

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Experts say victims of sexual abuse are often unable to disclose the trauma they experienced until an older age, often between 40 and 55, according to the advocacy group Child USA in Philadelphia.

“It takes a special courage,” said Derek T. Braslow, another lawyer representing the victims. Braslow is a 1989 Cherry Hill East graduate and former classmate of some of the survivors.

Wicker filed suit under the 2019 New Jersey Child Victims Act, which extended the statute of limitations to allow child sex abuse victims to sue their abusers and the institutions that protected them until they turn 55.

The law made it easier for child sexual abuse victims to seek justice in civil court. It opened a floodgate for hundreds of cases involving public and private schools and the Roman Catholic Church, and as many as 2,000 civil cases have been filed since New Jersey carved out the exception to the statute of limitation.

New Jersey is among about a dozen states that have adopted laws extending the statue of limitations. Efforts to implement similar changes in Pennsylvania have repeatedly stalled in the legislature.

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Other lawsuits followed Wicker’s, with three more filed Tuesday. They name the school district and the school board and seek punitive damages.

Becken regularly ate lunch alone with Wicker or other male students in his classroom, had male students sit on his lap, lifted up their shirts, and touched them inappropriately, the lawsuits say.

Becken had a reputation for acting inappropriately with male students, according to the lawsuits, and his alleged misconduct and sexual abuse “was known or should have been known to the administration.”

In 1977, a female student told school officials that Becken had made vulgar sexual remarks to her class, one of the lawsuits alleges. A supervisor counseled Becken about “drawing a line” with students, it said.

Three former students spoke with The Inquirer to share their stories and said they hoped it would encourage other victims and witnesses to consider coming forward.

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Wicker said he thought he had hit the lottery when he was selected for Becken’s class. Everyone loved Becken, a jolly and fun guy who clowned around with students, he said.

“I was ecstatic. I got the great teacher,” he recalled. “Little did I know.”

Wicker said Becken threatened to fail him if he told anyone. Eventually, he began going home for lunch to avoid Becken.

Encouraged by a classmate, Wicker said he decided to come forward. He sought counseling and said he hopes to inspire other victims.

“It’s a huge step. It eats away at you,” he said.

Identified only as “John Doe” in legal filings, another man who has sued the district said Becken would have students line up by his desk to check their work, boys on one side, girls on the other. Becken pulled the boys onto his lap and put his hand in their pants, he said.

In an attempt to avoid Becken, the boys would squirm and try to get away, the man said. He said he managed to elude Becken.

“I have a memory of every single boy being molested by this teacher,” he said. “You had a fear of God.”

Now 54 and living abroad, the man said he has been unable to work regularly and suffers from post-traumatic disorder and difficulty with intimacy, and fears being around other men.

“It’s caused me a hell of a lot of pain in my life,” he said.

Becken promised his students for the 1981-82 school year the best year ever, but they couldn’t tell anyone, said Brian Koch, another man who plans to sue the school district alleging abuse by Becken. He said Becken asked them to raise their hands to agree to his terms, and everyone did.

Becken would joke and roughhouse with the boys, he said, putting them on his lap and spanking and fondling them. The other students laughed at the antics, not realizing what was happening, he said.

“We thought it was all fun and games,” he said. “He was somebody who was supposed to be trustable.”

Then 12, Koch said he was afraid to tell his parents. His peers never talked about the incidents outside of class, he said.

Koch said it took years for him to come to grips with what happened and only recently shared it with his wife. His lawsuit, not yet filed, would be the seventh alleging abuse by Becken.

“If I can save a child, that would be a good thing. I don’t want it to happen again,” he said.