On January 21, 2026, Partner Gabriel Magee secured a $2 million settlement for his client, plaintiff Margaret Erirckson. Errickson was sexually abused by her band teacher, John Torick, in his private office behind a two-way mirror in the band room of the Borough School in Morris Plains between 1976-78. As a result of this horrific abuse, she has dealt with a lifetime of mental and emotional trauma, including depression, PTSD, and panic attacks, among other injuries.
On January 5, 2026, a jury trial commenced at the Morris County Courthouse. After two weeks of trial, the jury began its deliberations on January 20, 2026. On January 21, 2026, the Morris Plains Board of Education and its insurance carrier, Liberty Mutual, tendered the entirety of their $2M insurance policy to the Plaintiff in order to resolve this matter, just minutes before the jury indicated that it had decided upon a verdict. In addition, MPBOE agreed to remove Torick’s name from a citizenship award that still hangs in the Borough School and also remove a plaque from under a tree at the school, which was placed there after Torick died in 1978. The removal of the award and the plaque was of significant importance to the Plaintiff and was the primary motivation for her decision to resolve this matter.
Associate Jamie Hutchinson was also instrumental in helping to achieve this verdict.