By Sasha Canady from NewJerseyNewsRoom.com:
A developmentally disabled woman will receive $700,000 to settle her lawsuit after being molested as a teen by a school bus driver.
The woman, identified only as S.R., has Down Syndrome and was 15 when the incident happened, according to court papers. The papers state she was one of two children on the bus on its way to a Ho-Ho-Kus school in 2007 when the bus driver touched them inappropriately.
NorthJersey.com reported that the Bus Driver, Richard Noto, was arrested the day of the incident after S.R. told school officials, who called the police. Noto pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual contact in 2009, and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and five years of probation.
Later, S.R. filed a lawsuit against the bus company, alleging Laidlaw Education Services was negligent in hiring and supervising Noto, said The Star-Ledger.
Laidlaw Attorneys said in court papers that the bus company followed all legal obligations when hiring Noto, including a background check.
