DC School Obama Daughters Attend Faces $10 Million Suit from Parent
Washington D.C.’s Sidwell Friends School, whose students include Sasha and Malia Obama, is being sued by a parent, who alleges that a former staff psychologist there had an affair with his wife and continued to treat his daughter while the affair was ongoing.
The plaintiff, Arthur “Terry” Newmyer, is the father of a kindergartner at the school, which has an annual tuition of $31,069 for students in lower grades, the Washington Examiner reports. According to the complaint, ABC News reports, the girl’s mother, Tara Newmyer, allegedly scheduled an appointment for counselor James Huntington to see her daughter. Tara Newmyer, a lawyer, and Huntington had an affair, according to the complaint, and during that time Huntington continued to treat her daughter. The action also alleges that the school knew about the affair, but did nothing about it.
“We’re disappointed that Mr. Newmyer chose this course of action,” Ellis Turner, associate head of school for Sidwell Friends told ABC News. “The complaint is without merit and we will vigorously contest it.”
Kristin Henrikson, Tara Newmyer’s lawyer, told the Washington Examiner that Tara and Arthur Newmyer have been legally separated since August 2009 and that Huntington never psychologically evaluated their daughter. Rather, Tara Newmyer and Huntington “met as parents,” Henrikson said.
According to the lawsuit, Sidwell Friends fired Huntington in February, after Arthur Newmyer told the school’s board of trustees about the alleged affair.
Updated at 8:20 p.m. to revise headline and include amount requested in lawsuit. Updated on May 14 to correct a typo.
